|
Weather |
|
|
|
Local
News |
|
|
|
___________
|
|
___________
AD RATES
___________
|
|
|
|
National
News |
|
|
|
TOP STORIES FOR
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2003
 |
Architect Hired for Huntingdon High
School Expansion |
|
| |
| |
By Joel Washburn
washburn@mckenziebanner.com |
| |
Huntingdon High School will undergo
an expansion and remodeling later this year. School board
members approved the first step by hiring the
architectural firm of TLM Associates of Jackson at a fee
of five percent of total costs. During the Thursday, March
20 meeting, the board also decided to seek proposals for
construction management firms interested in managing the
project. Lashlee-Rich Company of Humboldt made their
presentation to be construction managers during the
Thursday meeting.
Truett detailed preliminary scale drawings of the proposed
additions of a new administrative office complex, a new
cafeteria, and a new all-purpose room for the chorus, band
auxiliary, and cheerleaders. The current cafeteria will be
converted into four sections including a science
classroom, art room, special education classroom, and
computer lab.
A new front entrance housing the administrative offices
will extend in front of the current main entrance. The new
cafeteria is planned to extend beyond the left rear of the
building. Truett said the larger cafeteria would increase
the use for after-hour events without compromising the
security of the remaining building. The all-purpose room
will extend on the right front of the building in front of
the band room.
Board member Mark Dillahunty expressed concern about the
new structure matching the present brick structure and Lee
Carter inquired about adding a stage in the cafeteria.
Total new square footage is 15,750. Costs are estimated at
$1.2 million or higher, based on $80 per square foot.
Board Chairman Tony Tucker said the project could be built
without a tax increase.
Construction of a new gymnasium at the Huntingdon Primary
School was also discussed. The board considers the high
school project to be a top priority with the gymnasium's
construction being secondary and possibly for a later
time.
In other business, the board set graduation date for May
19, 2003. Truett noted the board had not previously
established the graduation date.
Huntingdon school system is expected to receive $129,000
from the state for "salary equity", said Truett. He said
the system is "really, really happy" to receive the funds,
however, the funds might be nonrecurring and should be
distributed to teachers as a bonus instead of being
administered on the salary schedule. Truett will meet with
other county directors of schools to determine the best
method to administered the funds.
Four teachers were granted tenure. Connie Bond and Mary
Lou Ozee at HPS, and Kristina Buttrey and Ginger O'Bryant
at HMS were granted tenure by the board.
Teachers rehired include: Primary - Deborah Barger, Sandra
Beal, Jeaneen Blakeman, Kay Bishop, Guian Bowker, Carol
Burgess, Martha Clement, Becky Cox, April Dodd, Theresa
Donald, Beth Guess, Kim Larkins, Denise Pendergrass, Trudy
Radford, Ruth Ann Rhodes, Annice Roberts, Joyce Smothers,
Debbie Stallings, Tracy Stokes, Debra Twyman, Lucy
Vickers, Deborah Wilkins, Susan Williams, Mary Ann Wooter,
Christy Carey, Alan Eubanks, Kelli Postlethwait, and Joy
Vickers. Middle School - Rosemary Allen, Leanne Bailey,
Clay Barger, Angie Bartholomew, Hope Bateman, Barbara
Bennett, Tim Bennett, Brenda Blackwell, Labriska Blow,
Robbie Carlton, Jean Caton, Derek Cook, Vicki Crossno,
Lucille Cursey, Pat Dillahunty, Bill Ezell, Reba Foster,
David Hale, Brenda Hampton, Lisa Hayes, Donna Herrin,
Delano Miller, Michael Partridge, Judy Roberts, Debbie
Stinson, Anissa Swenson, Janice Truett, Melinda Vailes,
Sandra Wilkes, Rebecca Bates, Stephanie Smith, and Rita
Hayes; High School - Teresa Baker, Linda Bennett, Lisa
Bryant, William Blow, Teresa Cloar, Cindy Cole, Kay
Douglas, Paula Gregory, Pat Griffith, Mike Henson,
Elizabeth Lott, Michael Mansfield, Jason Morris, Janine
Newman, Nary Nolen, Jimmy Pritchard, Marilyn Rich, Judy
Roark, Penny Smith, Lynn Spellings, Eric Swenson, Wayne
Tedford, Bobby Ward, Robert Miller, Jenny Wilson, Beverly
Frederick, Kimberly Kee, and Revonda Sutton.
The board praised the HHS Fillies, cheerleaders, and fans
for representing the school and city well at the TSSAA
state tournament. Praises were also given to the HMS boy's
basketball team for winning the TNT state contest.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
War On Terror… U.S. Marine from Carroll County Injured
in Kuwait |
|
| |
| |
By Linda Bolton
linda@mckenziebanner.com |
| |
A United States Marine private first class from
Huntingdon was injured in an explosion in Kuwait
sometime Thursday.
Jonathan Blankenship, 19, who was stationed near Camp
Commando approximately eight or nine miles from the
border of Iraq, called his mother at her place of
employment at 9:45 a.m.(U.S central time) to tell her he
had been injured but that he was fine. Jonathan is the
son of Randy and Regina Blankenship of Huntingdon and
the brother of Zach, 15, Caleb, 13 and Ansley, 6.
Regina, who serves as Postmaster at Clarksburg Post
Office, said Jonathan could give only limited details
during the nine minute call. He told her, however, that
he and other Marines were in a building doing laundry
when the building collapsed following a blast. He did
not know if the explosion was caused by enemy fire, but
was able to tell her the building did not sustain a
direct hit. The collapse was apparently caused by the
shear force of the explosion, he told her.
“He told me, ‘We were standing one minute and being
slung the next’,” Regina related from the phone
conversation.
A communications technician with the 1st Marine
Expeditionary Force, Jonathan received minor shrapnel
wounds and was knocked unconscious for a brief time. He
was transported to a medical center at Camp Commando. At
the time of the call, which occurred three or four hours
after the explosion, Jonathan had been discharged from
the hospital and was to return to active duty.
Regina explained the area in the mid east where Jonathan
was making the call is nine hours ahead of central time.
“He said he had minor cuts and a concussion,” Regina
related.
All of the Marines inside the collapsed building
sustained non-life threatening injuries, Jonathan told
his mother.
“Right now we don’t know what his mission is,” said
Regina. “The last we heard he was with a group of
British/U.S. Marines headed into Iraq.”
He told me he didn’t know where he would be tomorrow,
that he didn’t know where he would be five minutes after
he hung up the phone,” she added.
Regina said they had been told that Jonathan would not
be allowed to make any phone calls, so she was very
surprised and a little scared when she heard his voice.
However, he explained that all the injured Marines were
told to make brief calls to their families to let them
know they were O.K.
“It was not a collect call or anything, it was just a
call,” Regina added.
Pfc. Blankenship is a 2002 graduate of Huntingdon High
School. He enlisted in the Marines just prior to
graduating last May and left in June to receive basic
training at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California. He
was serving in the 6th Marine Infantry Unit at Camp
LeJune in North Carolina when he was deployed to Kuwait
on March 1.
Administration at Huntingdon High School made a public
announcement concerning Jonathan’s condition Thursday to
reassure students.
Principal Steve Peery said rumors were going around at
the school Thursday morning that a bunch of Marines had
been killed and that Jonathan had been injured.
“Students that knew Jonathan were upset by the news,”
said Mr. Peery.
He said Guidance Counselor Kay Douglas called Jonathan’s
mother to obtain the correct information.
“We made an announcement during lunch (11:30 – 12 p.m.)
to calm the students,” said Mr. Peery. “We told them
that the Marines had been injured during an explosion
and that Jonathan had been injured but that he was
alright and was back out in the field.”
PFC Blankenship is the grandson of Carlos Blankenship
Jr. of Big Sandy, Faye Blankenship of Huntingdon, Jerry
and Betty DePriest of Trezevant and Dwayne and Molly
Rumley of Bruceton.
His address is PFC Jonathan Blankenship, 2nd Batt 6th
Marines, H & S Company Comm Plt, Comp Det A Unit 76253,
FPOAF 09509-6253. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Cancer Bake Auction Begins Monday In McKenzie |
|
| |
The once popular Cancer Bake Auction is being reinstated
next week at Alexander Hall in McKenzie. The five-day
event, which will be broadcast live each afternoon over
WHDM-1440 AM, is expected to feature lively and
competitive bidding of a wide assortment of delicious
cakes, pies, casseroles, cookies, candies and homemade
breads prepared especially for the auction by many local
culinary talents.
The auction was a much-anticipated event in raising
funds in the fight against cancer for a number of years.
Bidders would get caught up in the excitement of topping
the last bid or challenging other bidders into friendly
competition. Following a hiatus of about seven years,
organizers decided to recapture that fund-raising
excitement, this time incorporating the event into
another popular community activity, Relay for Life.
"When they did the Cancer Bake Auction before there was
no Relay for Life," said Mary Kee, a 19-year cancer
survivor who is co-chair of this year's event along with
her husband Harold. Mrs. Jo Ann Motheral originally
organized the auction in 1979. She was joined by
Virginia Claire Edwards in 1980, who chaired the event
for many years before Frances Pate and Willie Mae
Anderson took over for the last few years before the
event shut down in the mid-1990's. Relay for Life was
introduced to McKenzie by first-year chairman Ramona
Washburn in 1997.
Virginia Claire recalls some rather unorthodox donations
over the years, including peacocks, roosters and
chickens.
Undoubtedly, Mrs. Catherine Crawford's homemade turtles
were the most popular attraction each year. In the last
year of the event, the candies fetched $1,000 in
competitive bidding. By popular demand, the turtles will
again be a featured item of the auction.
Other items frequently earned bids of $50 to $70,
recalls Harold, who was himself a frequent bidder. In
addition to traditional bake sale fare, big sellers
included lasagna, homemade bread, Mexican cornbread, and
big favorite, fried pies.
"Several people have already signed up to make fried
pies," said Mary, who advised John Barham will
contribute his famous sausage balls.
Area ministers Clayton Owen, Kenny Carr, Harrell Nation,
Jim Roberts and Tony Janner will serve as auctioneers
for the sale while volunteers from the Kiwanis Club,
Telephone Pioneers, Rotary Club, Morning Glory Garden
Club, and Lions Club will man three telephone lines
installed especially for the event courtesy of
BellSouth.
"A cancer survivor will be at Alexander Hall each day as
a special guest," promised Relay for Life Chairman Karen
McCaleb.
Volunteers spent last week and this week telephoning
persons to ensure a wide range of baked items from which
to choose. Be sure to tune in between the hours of 1:00
p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday or go by
Alexander Hall and place your bid. Bids may be placed by
calling 352-4610, 352-4611 or 352-4612.
Contributors can drop off items at Alexander Hall before
7:00 each morning. All donations are welcome and should
be clearly labeled with the name of the contributor, the
item being donated and (for help in spurring bids) the
contributor's employer.
Everyone in the community can participate in one or more
of three ways: you can bake, bid, or buy. Join the fun
and help make the Cancer Bake Auction comeback a
success! All proceeds will go to the American Cancer
Society to help "stamp out cancer."
"We'll have a big time, I guarantee you," pledged
Harold. Special thanks are extended to event
co-sponsors, BellSouth and WHDM Radio. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Phone (731) 352-3323 or Fax (731)
352-3322
washburn@mckenziebanner.com
|
|
Advertisements |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
