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TOP STORIES FOR
WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2003
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Atwood Sustains
Tornado Damage -
Gleason, Paris, Lexington, Jackson
Hammered |
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By Joel Washburn
washburn@mckenziebanner.com |
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Several Hwy 77
residents in Atwood are regrouping after losing many of
their personal belonging in a tornado Sunday night. The
homes were all clustered along Highway 77 and Farris
Carter Road, immediately across the highway from West
Carroll High School.
Atwood resident Cynthia King was sifting through her
personal belongings Monday after a tornado ripped her
rented brick homes to shreds. Ms. King, her boyfriend
George Rogers, and Cynthia's daughter, Tabatha were in the
home when the storm hit. Cynthia and Tabatha were in bed
when Rogers yelled "tornado". Cynthia and Tabatha jumped
to the floor where Cynthia protected her daughter by lying
on top of her. The two eventually sought refuge in the
bathroom. Cynthia sustained an abrasion over her eye and
some bruises.
"I think I was in shock," said Cynthia, whose house
received the worst damage in the county. "We lost
everything." One family member said Cynthia did not have
insurance on the contents of the home. Also heavily
damaged were three automobiles parked in the driveway.
Family and friends helped Cynthia sift through the
wind-strewn items. TVs, VCRs, photos and clothes were
found. Tabatha, a third grader at West Carroll, was all
smiles when her mother found a trophy and tiara from a
recent contest.
Welford, Judy, Brian, and Anthony Jones along with Andrew
and Francis Phillips were spared harm when the room was
ripped from the Jones home on Hwy 77. Welford and his
grandson were in bed when the storm hit. They fell to the
floor when they heard a "whistling" sound followed by a
big "thump." The carport and roof were destroyed.
Houston and Vera Emerson sought shelter in a closet after
they heard a "crackling sound" before a period of calm.
They looked outside to learn that their workshop was gone.
The vehicle inside the shop received only minor damage,
however, the 1965 Chevrolet Impala, parked behind the
shed, was crushed by the falling shed. Houston said the
car was basically used for "parts" to restore other cars.
A carport attached to the house was also destroyed.
Emerson's neighbor, Bertha Belew said she felt the house
shake but she didn't really get scared. An outer brick
wall collapsed on her carport and outside storage building
was blown to a neighbor's open field.
West Carroll's football field sustained some damage. The
chain-link perimeter fence - with all the paid advertising
from sponsors - was destroyed and blown across the
highway. The school zone flashing light was completely
destroyed. A scoreboard is missing and a goal post was
twisted. School officials are unsure if there is any
additional damage to the building.
Doris Weddle, who resides on Farris Carter Road sought
shelter in her basement when the storm hit. When she
emerged, she found water pouring through her ceiling,
ruining many of the furnishings of her recent home
addition.
Carroll County Electric Department worked all night
Sunday. The crews had worked throughout the county,
restoring power as soon as possible. Mike Conley, with
CCED crew based in McKenzie, said he had not slept on
Sunday night.
Janice Newman, Emergency Management Director, was on the
scene in Atwood. She has requested the National Weather
Service to assess the damage. She added that a home on
Church Street in Atwood was damaged by a falling tree and
some scattered but minor damage throughout the county. In
total, 39 structures with an estimated damage of $280,000
occurred in Atwood.
Gleason was hammered by high winds Sunday night that
ripped the top off the elevated water tank, damaged
several busineses, damaged the First Cumberland
Presbyterian Church, and toppled hundreds of trees.
First Cumberland Presbyterian Church's steeple and part of
the roof lay in a cornfield after Sunday night's storms. A
crew from Tri-County Builders had moved in to begin
emergency repairs to stop the water leaks. Matt Dunning
with the construction company said they were ripping off
part of the old roof and installing new roof decking.
CP Minister Jim Pinnell said the wind ripped the roof off
two Sunday school rooms and the nursery. The Sanctuary was
flooded and the church's organ and piano got wet. Brother
Pinnell said he learned about the church damage when he
was visiting with a parishioner of the church.
Nancy Williams, owner of Lillian's Bridal Shop was
sweeping and siphoning water from her downtown shop
Monday. The roof was ripped off the formal wear side of
the business while the wedding side was undamaged. Ms.
Williams said she was home when the storm hit Sunday night
around 11:20. She said the wind blew all the doors open
and the wind was just swirling in her home.
The top of the elevated water tank was lifted and
deposited in Bryant's Video in downtown.
A radio communication tower was destroyed atop Gleason
City Hall.
CSX Railroad was closed as trees lay over the tracks in
Gleason.
Downed trees were everywhere. Almost every street
sustained damage. Some trees fell on houses and
automobiles. Many streets were closed because of downed
trees and power lines.
McKenzie Street Department volunteered the services of its
knuckle boom truck to help clear debris. McKenzie Public
Works Director Joe Curtis said McKenzie was spared, so the
City of McKenzie volunteered its truck and manpower to
help their neighbors in Gleason.
In Martin, the Martin Middle School sustained heavy damage
as well as Vincent Implement. All Weakley County Schools
were closed Monday because of the weather damage,
Greenfield schools were open Tuesday to makeup a day
missed earlier in the year because of state tournaments.
In Paris, the Paris Elementary School/Krider Center was
heavily damaged when high winds ripped off the roof and
blew out windows of the school and the multi-million
dollar performing arts center. Busses parked in the
parking lot were moved around -one almost into the road on
Volunteer Drive. Windows in the busses were broken out.
Paris Special School District was closed on Monday and
Tuesday. Henry County Schools returned to school on
Tuesday.
The Advance Auto Parts store on Mineral Wells was
completely destroyed.
In Paris, three homes were destroyed, five received 50
percent damage, two received 25 percent damage and 75
received 10 percent damage. Most are in the area of Holmes
and Grove. One business (Advance Auto) was completed
destroyed, one was 50 percent destroyed. The Tennessee
Rehabilitation Center building on U.S. 79 was completely
destroyed.
In Jackson, tornadoes destroyed much of downtown during an
F4 force storm. The new Federal Courthouse and the new
main U.S. Post Office were destroyed. Also destroyed was a
landmark - a memorial to the damage and deaths caused by
the 1999 tornadoes that ripped through Jackson. A 19th
Century CME Church was destroyed in downtown.
Electricity was interrupted to some 30,000 homes and
businesses and the one million square-foot Proctor and
Gamble facility that manufactures Pringles was heavily
damaged. Residents were encouraged to boil their water as
a precautionary measure to assure that the water system's
services had not been contaminated.
Among the victims was 7-year-old Lee McLaughlin who was
ripped from his mother's arms and 8-year-old Ryan Scott
Cowan and his step-mother, Connie, who were both found in
a pond in the Denmark community. Scott Cowan is the son of
Robin Gibson, formerly of McKenzie, and the grandson of
Debra Carroll-Brimm of McKenzie.
Initially packing winds above 115 mph,
the volatile tornado alternately weakened and strengthened
as it churned toward Jackson. It then roared straight
through downtown, where damage assessments suggest it
reached F4 intensity, the second-most severe category of
twister strength, said Mark Frazier, senior meteorologist
with the National Weather Service. An F4 is rated as
"violent," with winds of at least 205 mph.
The twister weakened as it headed into east Jackson, but
still it demolished homes, ripped up trees and utility
poles and tore the roofs off buildings. Two people, a
woman in her early 20s and her approximately year-old
child, died in the upstairs of their public housing unit
in east Jackson.
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Huntingdon Man Charged In Shooting
Death |
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By Linda Bolton
linda@mckenziebanner.com |
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Gordon Stewart Ashby, 51, of Huntingdon, turned himself
in to Huntingdon police authorities Monday afternoon in
connection with the Thursday death of a 20-year-old
Huntingdon man.
Andy D. Tucker of Huntingdon was reportedly killed
outside Hamilton’s Stop & Shop at 19015 West Main Street
in Huntingdon at approximately 4:16 p.m.
A suspect in the case since Thursday, Ashby has been
charged with second degree murder and is being
represented by Attorney Ben Dempsey, according to
Huntingdon Director of Public Safety Joe Parker. He is
free on $100,000 bond.
Parker said Tucker’s car was parked near a pay phone and
the two men were facing each other having a conversation
when the shooting occurred. The driver’s door of the
victim’s car was open and he was reportedly standing
between the door and the car, when he sustained a bullet
wound to the upper torso.
Parker said he has not yet received results of the
official autopsy report. However, the gunshot, allegedly
from a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun, is believed
to have traveled through the victim and then shattered
the driver’s door window of Tucker’s car. The victim
reportedly took several steps before falling to the
ground 8 to 10 feet from the vehicle.
According to Parker, another gun was involved in the
incident, a 9 mm handgun that reportedly belonged to the
victim.
Several witnesses were present when the shooting took
place.
An off-duty Hollow Rock Police Officer, Jeffrey Winberry
of Cedar Grove, walked over to Mr. Ashby and Ashby
inquired if he was a police officer. Receiving an
affirmative answer, Ashby asked to see the officer’s
badge. After showing the identification, Winberry was
handed Ashby’s weapon, as well as the 9mm handgun.
Huntingdon Officer Ken Blado, who arrived on the scene
at approximately the same time as Officer Winberry,
initiated investigation. Officers from Carroll County
Sheriff’s Department also arrived to the scene to assist
HPD.
Mr. Ashby was questioned, however was not immediately
taken into custody, said Parker.
The victim transported to Baptist Hospital, where he was
pronounced dead. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
is also investigating the case.
According to reports, there were people at the store
when the shooting took place. Authorities are asking
anyone with information to call Huntingdon Police
Department at 986-5310.
Mr. Tucker was employed as a production worker at Behlen
Manufacturing Company in Huntingdon. He graduated from
Clarksburg High School in 2000 and was attending the
Tennessee Technology Center in McKenzie.
Survivors include his mother and step-father, Betty and
David Sublett of Huntingdon and his father and
step-mother, Roger and Janie Tucker of Huntingdon. |
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Former Trezevant Teacher Killed In
Two-Vehicle Accident Friday |
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By Linda Bolton
linda@mckenziebanner.com |
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A 72-year-old Trezevant woman was
killed Friday when she pulled her
2002 Cadillac Deville from Connie
Allen Road near McKenzie into the
path of a truck.
Willodean V. Taylor of 194 Johnson
Street was believed to have
instantly sustained fatal injuries,
according to Trooper Paul Moore.
The 2002 Dodge Ram that struck the
Taylor vehicle was driven by Joshua
H. Reed, 20, of 248 Eastern Shores
Drive, Lexington, who was uninjured.
A passenger in the Reed vehicle,
Derek K. Scott, 20, of 134 Crestwood
Lane, Lexington was transported by
private vehicle to McKenzie Regional
Hospital.
According to Trooper Moore, Ms.
Taylor was entering the intersection
of State Route 22 from Connie Allen
Road and failed to yield right of
way when crossing Highway 22 into
the southbound lane. The Reed
vehicle was southbound on SR 22. Mr.
Reed struck Ms. Taylor’s car in the
driver’s right door area and
Taylor’s vehicle came to rest in the
southbound lane of traffic, while
Reed’s vehicle came to rest east of
the southbound lane of travel.
A former teacher at both Trezevant
and Humboldt High Schools, Ms.
Taylor once said that she “entered a
classroom at age five and stayed in
a classroom until she was 65.”
She graduated from Bethel College in
1951 with Bachelor of Science
Degrees in English and Business. She
began her career as a teacher at
Woodland Mills High School in Obion
County, where she taught English and
business there for two years. In
1953, she returned home to Trezevant
and taught English and business
there for the next 11 years.
In 1955, she earned her master’s
degree with a major in business
education at George Peabody College
in Nashville. Throughout the years,
she continued her education
part-time, completing a year beyond
her masters.
In 1964, she began teaching at
Humboldt High School and taught
there for the next thirty-one years,
until her retirement in June 1995.
She also taught the Joy Sunday
School Class at First Baptist Church
in Trezevant, where she was a member
for a number of years. She was also
a member of Kappa Gamma Delta and
Carroll County Retired Teachers
Association, where she served as
treasurer.
Throughout the years, she enjoyed
traveling throughout the United
States, as well as Mexico, Canada
and the Bahamas.
Upon her retirement from teaching
she said, “All in all, I have lived
a happy life and believe, as Abraham
Lincoln said, ‘A person is about as
happy as he makes up his mind to
be.’” |
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Other news stories exclusively in
the print edition: |
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- Bethel College graduates record number of
students.
- McKenzie’s new College Drive dedicated.
- Grandson of McKenzian killed in Jackson tornado.
- Inmate’s Freedom Short lived.
- McKenzie Youth Experiences Near Drowning, CPR
Saved Him.
- Relay for Life Planned for Friday, May 9 in
McKenzie.
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Phone (731) 352-3323 or Fax (731)
352-3322
washburn@mckenziebanner.com
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