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TOP STORIES FOR
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2002
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McKenzie Has New Mayor |
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By Joel Washburn
washburn@mckenziebanner.com |
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He's traveled the world working as a civil servant. He met
his Alabama-reared wife, Kathy in Germany and their
16-year-old son, Joseph was born in Australia. But the
lure of the life in the southern United States brought the
sharecropper's son back home in 1995. Good schools for his
son and an aging mother in McKenzie were the enticement to
move to McKenzie from Wales.Walter Winchester, age 56,
grew up on a farm just outside of McKenzie, graduated from
McKenzie High School, attended Bethel College, spent four
years in the U.S. Air Force, obtained a bachelor's degree
in recreation administration and a master's degree in
education from the University of Georgia in 1974. He
worked in civil service from 1974 to 1995 in association
with the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. Work assignments took
him to Alabama, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Italy, Germany,
Australia, California, Scotland and Wales. Recently, the
semi-retired mayor-elect has been working part time at
E.W. James Supermarket, McKenzie. After Tuesday's
inauguration, Winchester plans to work full time for the
city.
Winchester is the son of the late F.V. and Clara
Winchester, and the brother of Jimmy, Alford, James and
William Winchester, Clara Kesterson, Jossie Purvis, Mary
Kleet, and Reba Christopher. As siblings, the family lived
in the Hinkledale Community and on Ben Smith Road. (see
feature story inside the newspaper).
Mr. Winchester plans to move into the mayor's office,
evaluate the progress of certain city projects, and
hopefully move everyone in a positive direction.
Election returns were somewhat surprising with political
newcomer Winchester outpolling incumbent Patty Edwards and
industrial director Billy Barksdale. Winchester received
879 votes and won at all three voting precincts. Barksdale
received 529 votes and Ms. Edwards, 147.
"I thought I could help," said Winchester when asked why
he made the decision to seek the mayor's office.
Winchester ran a low-key, positive campaign and went
door-to-door asking citizens to vote for him.
In the election for alderman, all incumbents were returned
to office. Jerry Arthur (102 votes) won over challenger
Tony Lane (60 votes) for the Ward II alderman seat, Gene
Hale (189 votes) won over challenger Jerry Drewry (85
votes) for Ward V, and Willie Huffman received 211
complimentary votes in his uncontested race for Ward III.
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Saturday Night Tornado Claims Life of Cedar Grove Woman |
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By Linda Bolton
linda@mckenziebanner.com |
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Carroll County once again experienced the wrath of a
killer tornado that ripped through the Cedar Grove and
Terry Community Saturday night at approximately 11:30
p.m., claiming the life of Laqueeta Annette Forsythe, 65.
Saturday's tornado damaged or destroyed 40 structures,
including both mobile homes and houses but not including
outbuildings and vehicles, according to Janice Newman,
Carroll County Emergency Management Director. Also damaged
were three barns and three small businesses near Highway
104.
Weather officials classified the storm as an F2 on the
Fujita scale with 113-157 mph winds that can demolish
mobile homes and rip roofs off frame houses.
Baptist and Methodist Emergency Medical Services both
responded to the scene to transport the injured. Seven
patients were treated at Baptist Memorial Hospital in
Huntingdon for storm-related injuries, related Mrs.
Newman.
Mrs. Forsythe was in the living room watching television
when the tornado struck her mobile home on Old Stage Road,
located approximately six miles southwest of Huntingdon.
She was reportedly found underneath her toppled mobile
home following the storm.
Mrs. Forsythe lived in a double-wide home with three of
her children, Ricky Forsythe, 48, Darlene Springer, 44,
and Neil Forsythe, 42, according to Annette's sister,
Barbara Warren of McKenzie. Mrs. Forsythe's granddaughter,
Jennifer Bushart, 7, was also at the Forsythe residence
spending the night.
Darlene and Jennifer were in a bedroom at the back of the
mobile home, when the storm struck, according to Mrs.
Warren. Ricky and Neil were also in separate bedrooms at
the home.
All five were transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital in
Huntingdon, where Mrs. Forsythe was pronounced dead. Neal
was transferred to Jackson-Madison County Hospital, where
he remained in the critical care unit Monday.
In a telephone interview from Jackson-Madison Hospital
Monday, Bob Bushart said his brother-in-law Neil Forsythe
had just undergone surgery because he was losing blood
internally from two main arteries that were damaged in the
pelvic region. He also sustained severe fractures to both
hips and upper legs. Doctors were attempting to get him
stabilized so that he could be transferred to The Med in
Memphis for additional specialized surgery, said Bob.
Seven-year-old Jennifer, daughter of Bob and Helen Ann
Bushart, sustained a severe laceration from her forehead
to the base of her skull and another deep laceration on
her left jaw. She also sustained several small puncture
wounds and one large puncture wound on her left leg,
approximately the size of a silver dollar, said her
father. |
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Homes of Cedar Grove Families Destroyed In Saturday's
Storm |
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By Linda Bolton
linda@mckenziebanner.com |
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A few minutes before the Saturday night storm claimed
the life of Annette Forsythe on Old Stage Road, it
struck another neighborhood on Tennessee 104, about
three miles west of U.S. Highway 70, also in Cedar
Grove. The apparent twister cut a path about 300 yards
wide through approximately one-half mile of the rural
neighborhood.
Helen Barger, 77, rode out the storm by getting under
her heavy oak kitchen table as her home was destroyed
and Roger and Leah Dotson family survived by getting
into their bathtub as their brick home was blown away
around them.
Mrs. Barger incurred only slight bruises and abrasions
when her home was lifted from its foundation and moved
about 30 yards, landing in the roadway. She was treated
and released at Milan Hospital's emergency room.
Robert and Betty Barger, who resided across the road
from his mother's damaged house, sustained heavy damage
to their own home. Many of the large trees in their yard
were toppled, with one striking and heavily damaging the
porch and house.
Emergency workers used heavy equipment to move the
remainder of Mrs. Barger's house out of Highway 104 in
order to get to other damaged homes along the path of
the tornado. The homes, barns and outbuildings of
Kenneth and Linda Lessenberry, Kenny and Laura
Lessenberry, Darryl and Patsy Warren, and others were
damaged or destroyed.
Ms. Newman said she began monitoring the weather with
the first report of a "tornado watch" at 6 p.m.
Saturday.
"The first call came in when it hit on Highway 104 at
10:45 p.m.," she stated.
"I responded to Highway 104 because I knew we had
victims and people trapped in that area," she said.
"There were roads blocked by trees and downed power
lines and it was hard to get emergency responders to the
scene."
Huntingdon Police Department, Carroll County Sheriff's
Department, local fire departments, emergency personnel
from the city of Bruceton, and other volunteers also
responded to the scene as well as ambulance personnel.
Seven patients were treated at Baptist Memorial Hospital
in Huntingdon for storm-related injuries, related Ms.
Newman.
Highway 104 was closed for a time so that electrical
repairs could be completed. Troopers from Tennessee
Highway Patrol were on the scene to assist with traffic
control during the closure. |
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McKenzie High School Cheerleaders Place First in State
Competition |
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The McKenzie High School Cheerleaders placed first in
their division, Cheer-Non-Building, in state competition
last Saturday. The cheerleading championships were held
at Murphy Center at MTSU in Murfreesboro. The squad was
accompanied by their sponsor, Christie Plunk and
numerous parents and family members.Cheerleaders
include Mallory Twyman, Savanna Cooper, Carrie Stambaugh,
co-captain, Emily Kee, captain, Jessica Johnson, Kasey
Nicholson, Rachael Clark, Monica Mayberry, Amanda
Rogers, Heidi Thomas, Brandy Burke and Whitney Hopper. |
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Phone (731) 352-3323 or Fax (731)
352-3322
washburn@mckenziebanner.com
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