pages 7-2-14.indd
THE
VOL. 122, 22, NO. 27
TRI-CITY REPORTER WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 2 2014
GCSD approves $27.9M budget BY CRYSTAL BURNS The Gibson County Special School District Board of Trustees passed a $27.9M budget for fiscal year 2014-15 last Thursday evening. The $27,961,469 budget is up just slightly from last year’s $27,347,915 budget and uses the new certified tax rate of $1.7415 per $100 of assessed property. The previous tax rate was $1.80 per $100 of assessed property. The school board passed the budget with a 6-0 vote. Charles Scott was absent, and Dana Welch attended the meeting electronically. She “signed off” before the meeting was adjourned and did not vote on all of the business discussed. Board members also approved paying a portion of retirees’ health insurance. To be eligible, a teacher must have served in the Gibson County school system a minimum of 10 years. Teachers that retire see page 11
10th annual ‘Taste of Dyer’ held Sunday Dyer Station Celebration Committee hosted its 10th annual ‘Taste of Dyer’ event this past Sunday in the church fellowship hall at the Dyer First United Methodist Church. ‘Taste of Dyer’ event allows guests to sample a number of the town residents’ recipes. A variety of local residents were on hand serving up samples of their specialties so those attending could get a taste of the best home cooking in our community. More than 75 cantata spectators sampled a wide range of food from the many entries. Dishes ranged from see page 7
DYER, TENNESSEE
Grand Marshals
Gene Skinner
Skinner is candidate for constable HONOREES – Recognized at the Dyer Station Celebration opening cermony were Grand Marshals Judy Baker, Johnny McIlwain, Kareen Griffin, George Ellis, Alice Ernest, and Kay Tignor. The group are members of the first DSC committee.
Dyer, Kenton kick off Fourth of July celebrations BY CINDY EAST Dyer and Kenton held opening ceremonies this past weekend for the annual Fourth of July celebrations. Dyer Station Celebration kicked off its event at the Dyer VFW on Friday, June 27 at 6:30. Committee member Beverly Laughlin welcomed the crowd and read the schedule of events for the weeklong celebration. Bro. John Coleman gave the opening prayer followed by the raising of the American flag by Dyer Boy Scout Troop 243. Burt Hooper led the Pledge of Allegiance. Veronica Richards sang the ‘Star Spangled Banner.’ Kelly Tucker gave recognition to all veterans. She spoke about the sacrifices, courage and selflessness of our soldiers. “Our troops are made up of ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary things. They make sacrifices so we can enjoy freedom,” she said. see page 12
DISASTER RESPONSE Area Coordinator Danny Daniels, Gibson County EMA Director Rickey Graves, Interim Director of TEMA David Purkey, Gibson County Mayor Tom Witherspoon
Kenton White Squirrel Grand Marshal Bill Sanderson and guest speaker Marty Sisco
and Mick Woodard discuss the state response to assists counties recover from an 7.7 magnitude earthquake along the New Madrid Seismic Zone. (Photo by Lori Cathey)
Earthquake! Emergency workers prepare TCR will be closed Friday The Tri-City Reporter will be closed Friday, July 4th for Independence Day. Deadline for news and advertising will be 10 a.m. Monday, July 7. Have a safe and happy Foruth of July!
$1.00
BY LORI CATHEY Imagine if a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit here. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency recently held a week-long multi-state exercise of responses to a 7.7 magnitude earthquake along the New Madrid Seismic Zone. The exercise, known nationally as CAPSTONE í14,í also involved exercising the stateís catastrophic annex to the Tennessee emergency management plan. On June 18th, Gibson County EMA participated by hosting the forward staging area exercise portion at the Gibson County Fairground in Trenton. State officials asked Gibson County EMA to work with other locals to set up a forward staging area. This is an area for actually receiving resources and personnel from other disciplines and jurisdictions into Gibson County to stand by for deployment into areas more seriously impacted by the earthquake, if the event actually happened. More than 98 participants were involved during the exercise, with representatives from TEMA,
‘You really should try
Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Tennessee Emergency Medical Services, and Tennessee Department of Public Health; as well as locals from emergency management agencies, fire departments, EMS, police departments and others. There are 21 counties in the West Tennessee region, of those 21 counties, 19 counties participated in the exercise. Gibson County Mayor Tom Witherspoon and Obion County Mayor Bennie McBride took time to participate in the exercise. This gave the mayors the opportunity to see a portion of what would happen during a real event situation. Also present was interim director of TEMA, David Purkey. “An earthquake of this size would tax the response capabilities of more than just Tennessee. It would truly be a national emergency and require response from all corners of the country and possibly internationally,” said Purkey. see page 11
Gene Skinner of Rutherford is announcing his candidacy for constable for District 16-19 in Gibson County. Skinner was born and raised in Kenton and graduated Kenton High School in 1973. He and his wife Edna Horton Skinner have been married 41 years and have one son, Bradley who is married to Kristin (Roberts) Skinner. After graduating high school, Skinner was hired as a police officer for the city of Greenfield. While working at Greenfield PD, he was sent to and graduated from, Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy at Fort Donelson. He is trained in domestic violence, traffic control. Narcotic investigation, court room proceedings, see page 2
Commission adopts workplace drug policy BY APRIL G. JACKSON The Gibson County commissioner unanimously adopted a drug and alcohol workplace policy last week when they reconvened. But they left the three-hour meeting with no agreement on employee raises or the county property tax rate both tied to the 2014-15 budget. Eighteen commissioners of the county’s 25 attended the 6 p.m. meeting June 23. Insurance committee chairman, Bobby Cotham, presented the drug and alcohol policy. Insurance savings, once the policy is in place, is estimated at $24,000 annually. The county will be responsible for the cost of drug testing, which will be include job applicants, suspicion testing, post-accident testing and random testing. When an employee tests positive, it will be up to department heads to choose disciplinary actions including rehab up to termination. The cost of rehabilitation will be paid by the employee. Sheriff Chuck Arnold asked that his department not be required to offer see page 12
2013 Ford Edge SEL MSRP $38,520
$Discount & Rebates - 9,860*
24,998 $
before you buy!’
784-9311 or 1-800-273-3875
www.genelangleyford.com
22063
*Plus Tax Title And Lic. Includes $259 Processing Fee.
VOL. 122, 22, NO. 27
TRI-CITY REPORTER WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 2 2014
GCSD approves $27.9M budget BY CRYSTAL BURNS The Gibson County Special School District Board of Trustees passed a $27.9M budget for fiscal year 2014-15 last Thursday evening. The $27,961,469 budget is up just slightly from last year’s $27,347,915 budget and uses the new certified tax rate of $1.7415 per $100 of assessed property. The previous tax rate was $1.80 per $100 of assessed property. The school board passed the budget with a 6-0 vote. Charles Scott was absent, and Dana Welch attended the meeting electronically. She “signed off” before the meeting was adjourned and did not vote on all of the business discussed. Board members also approved paying a portion of retirees’ health insurance. To be eligible, a teacher must have served in the Gibson County school system a minimum of 10 years. Teachers that retire see page 11
10th annual ‘Taste of Dyer’ held Sunday Dyer Station Celebration Committee hosted its 10th annual ‘Taste of Dyer’ event this past Sunday in the church fellowship hall at the Dyer First United Methodist Church. ‘Taste of Dyer’ event allows guests to sample a number of the town residents’ recipes. A variety of local residents were on hand serving up samples of their specialties so those attending could get a taste of the best home cooking in our community. More than 75 cantata spectators sampled a wide range of food from the many entries. Dishes ranged from see page 7
DYER, TENNESSEE
Grand Marshals
Gene Skinner
Skinner is candidate for constable HONOREES – Recognized at the Dyer Station Celebration opening cermony were Grand Marshals Judy Baker, Johnny McIlwain, Kareen Griffin, George Ellis, Alice Ernest, and Kay Tignor. The group are members of the first DSC committee.
Dyer, Kenton kick off Fourth of July celebrations BY CINDY EAST Dyer and Kenton held opening ceremonies this past weekend for the annual Fourth of July celebrations. Dyer Station Celebration kicked off its event at the Dyer VFW on Friday, June 27 at 6:30. Committee member Beverly Laughlin welcomed the crowd and read the schedule of events for the weeklong celebration. Bro. John Coleman gave the opening prayer followed by the raising of the American flag by Dyer Boy Scout Troop 243. Burt Hooper led the Pledge of Allegiance. Veronica Richards sang the ‘Star Spangled Banner.’ Kelly Tucker gave recognition to all veterans. She spoke about the sacrifices, courage and selflessness of our soldiers. “Our troops are made up of ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary things. They make sacrifices so we can enjoy freedom,” she said. see page 12
DISASTER RESPONSE Area Coordinator Danny Daniels, Gibson County EMA Director Rickey Graves, Interim Director of TEMA David Purkey, Gibson County Mayor Tom Witherspoon
Kenton White Squirrel Grand Marshal Bill Sanderson and guest speaker Marty Sisco
and Mick Woodard discuss the state response to assists counties recover from an 7.7 magnitude earthquake along the New Madrid Seismic Zone. (Photo by Lori Cathey)
Earthquake! Emergency workers prepare TCR will be closed Friday The Tri-City Reporter will be closed Friday, July 4th for Independence Day. Deadline for news and advertising will be 10 a.m. Monday, July 7. Have a safe and happy Foruth of July!
$1.00
BY LORI CATHEY Imagine if a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit here. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency recently held a week-long multi-state exercise of responses to a 7.7 magnitude earthquake along the New Madrid Seismic Zone. The exercise, known nationally as CAPSTONE í14,í also involved exercising the stateís catastrophic annex to the Tennessee emergency management plan. On June 18th, Gibson County EMA participated by hosting the forward staging area exercise portion at the Gibson County Fairground in Trenton. State officials asked Gibson County EMA to work with other locals to set up a forward staging area. This is an area for actually receiving resources and personnel from other disciplines and jurisdictions into Gibson County to stand by for deployment into areas more seriously impacted by the earthquake, if the event actually happened. More than 98 participants were involved during the exercise, with representatives from TEMA,
‘You really should try
Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Tennessee Emergency Medical Services, and Tennessee Department of Public Health; as well as locals from emergency management agencies, fire departments, EMS, police departments and others. There are 21 counties in the West Tennessee region, of those 21 counties, 19 counties participated in the exercise. Gibson County Mayor Tom Witherspoon and Obion County Mayor Bennie McBride took time to participate in the exercise. This gave the mayors the opportunity to see a portion of what would happen during a real event situation. Also present was interim director of TEMA, David Purkey. “An earthquake of this size would tax the response capabilities of more than just Tennessee. It would truly be a national emergency and require response from all corners of the country and possibly internationally,” said Purkey. see page 11
Gene Skinner of Rutherford is announcing his candidacy for constable for District 16-19 in Gibson County. Skinner was born and raised in Kenton and graduated Kenton High School in 1973. He and his wife Edna Horton Skinner have been married 41 years and have one son, Bradley who is married to Kristin (Roberts) Skinner. After graduating high school, Skinner was hired as a police officer for the city of Greenfield. While working at Greenfield PD, he was sent to and graduated from, Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy at Fort Donelson. He is trained in domestic violence, traffic control. Narcotic investigation, court room proceedings, see page 2
Commission adopts workplace drug policy BY APRIL G. JACKSON The Gibson County commissioner unanimously adopted a drug and alcohol workplace policy last week when they reconvened. But they left the three-hour meeting with no agreement on employee raises or the county property tax rate both tied to the 2014-15 budget. Eighteen commissioners of the county’s 25 attended the 6 p.m. meeting June 23. Insurance committee chairman, Bobby Cotham, presented the drug and alcohol policy. Insurance savings, once the policy is in place, is estimated at $24,000 annually. The county will be responsible for the cost of drug testing, which will be include job applicants, suspicion testing, post-accident testing and random testing. When an employee tests positive, it will be up to department heads to choose disciplinary actions including rehab up to termination. The cost of rehabilitation will be paid by the employee. Sheriff Chuck Arnold asked that his department not be required to offer see page 12
2013 Ford Edge SEL MSRP $38,520
$Discount & Rebates - 9,860*
24,998 $
before you buy!’
784-9311 or 1-800-273-3875
www.genelangleyford.com
22063
*Plus Tax Title And Lic. Includes $259 Processing Fee.
