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TOP STORIES FOR
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2004
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Winter Storm Leaves Blanket of
Ice |
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By Linda Bolton
linda@mckenziebanner.com |
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McKenzie students have
fun on the ice-and-snow packed pills of McKenzie.
Enjoying the snow are Carson Rider, Caleb Haywood,
MiRanda West, Anna Trull, Lauren Perritt, Amy Moore,
Rachel Chandler, Scott Cunningham, Beth Holowell, Shay
Barksdale, and Anders Rider.lAn Arctic
blast moved into Carroll, Henry and Weakley counties
Wednesday bringing freezing rain, snow and bitter
cold. Treacherous roadways interfered with last minute
holiday shopping and numerous mishaps were reported as
vehicles veered out of control on slick roadways,
driveways, and parking lots, according to a McKenzie
Police Department spokesperson.
One serious accident occurred at 1:22 p.m. Wednesday
at the intersection of Highways 423 and 22 near
Powell’s Gun Shop, a short time after the freezing
rain began. John T. Hastings, 19 417 Browning Avenue,
Huntingdon was traveling west on SR 423 and was unable
to stop before entering SR 22, according to a report
filed by Cpl. Kim Barker. Hastings’1993 Honda slid
across the roadway on the icy surface into the path of
a southbound 2004 Chevrolet van, driven by Timothy K.
James, 40, of Henderson. The Honda then slid into a
ditch and overturned, according to the report. James’
vehicle also traveled approximately 150 feet from the
intersection, before coming to rest in the ditch.
McKenzie Fire Rescue Team was summoned to the scene to
extricate Hastings and his passenger, Corren M.
Tippitt, 20, of 820 Hillard Road, Huntingdon.
Captain Joey Scott of McKenzie Fire Rescue said it
required approximately 15 minutes to free the two
injured men. Both were transported to McKenzie
Regional Hospital, where Hastings was treated and
released. Tippitt was transported to Jackson-Madison
County General Hospital trauma unit with what was
first believed to be life-threatening injuries, said
his mother, Gaye Lynn Tippitt. However a five-inch
abdominal laceration was determined to not be as
critical as first believed and he was released from
the hospital Friday. He also sustained bruising to the
kidneys and liver, a head injury and leg lacerations.
“He is very sore, but improving,” said Ms. Tippitt.
“We were just very lucky.”
E.L. “Skinny” Call, highway maintenance superintendent
II for Carroll, Benton, Weakley, Henry and Decatur
counties, said there was five to six inches of solid
ice in Carroll and adjoining counties.
“Carroll and Weakley counties were hit the hardest,”
he said.
Call said the department had full crews working
throughout the storm, grading and salting. He stated
that normally liquid salt is used when a snow or ice
storm is imminent, however the rain that preceded the
ice storm would have washed away liquid salt,
therefore dry salt was used after the rain changed to
ice. Later, when temperatures dipped below 17 degrees,
salt was of no use, he said. The local highway
department had depleted its salt mixture by Monday
morning. However, highway crews were continuing to
grade ice-covered roadways Monday.
The storm also caused shortages at some gas pumps in
McKenzie. Pockets and Raceway convenience stores both
ran out of regular gas Friday.
Jerry Perry, manager of Pockets, said he offered
premium gas at regular price until he also ran out of
premium. Shell gasoline is delivered to Pockets by
Kenan Transport of Nashville, while Raceway gas is
transported by Kenan Transport of Memphis.
“They took the trucks off the roadway because of the
weather,” said Raceway owner Wallace Todd.
“We received a partial load (of gas) at 4 p.m.
Saturday,” said Perry. However, that supply was
depleted Sunday night and the station remained out of
gas Monday morning. A new supply arrived Monday
afternoon.
Friday and Saturday outages were because of the
weather, said Perry. On Monday, so many stations were
out of gas, suppliers were having a difficult time
getting caught up, he said.
Todd said Monday a new supply of gas had been
delivered to his station.
Carroll County Electric Department Office Manager Mark
Burden said that department weathered the storm well
and experienced minimal problems.
“We got really lucky on that,” he said. “Outages were
very spotty. A couple of houses in Wildersville area
experienced outages Wednesday and Thursday.”
Burden noted the few problems they experienced were
caused by tree limbs burdened with ice that fell
across electrical lines. However, he said ice did not
build up on the lines to the extent that it had during
some previous ice storms.
Don Cook, who co-owns D & D Service Center with David
Ferguson, said they have been busy day and night with
wrecker calls since the storm began.
“We’ve had big calls – semi trucks, UPS, Fed-Ex, mail
trucks – you name it,” he said. “They have been coming
in one right after another.”
Cook said the calls came from all over West Tennessee.
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Guard Couple Gets Daughter for
Christmas |
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Mike and Beret Ilko
with new baby, Elizabeth, who was born December 21
after Mike arrived home on Christmas leave from Fort
Sill, Oklahoma. |
Mike and Beret Ilko, both
assigned to McKenzie's Company A National Guard Unit,
decided to take advantage of the unit's Christmas
homecoming to give each other a very special gift: 6
lb. 4 1/2 oz., 19-inch-long Elizabeth Lee Ilko.
The two were stoic when Mike, who serves as section
sergeant over heavy equipment, left for Fort Sill,
Oklahoma, November 18, in preparation for deployment
to Southwest Asia, despite the fact their first child
was due near the end of December: "It needs to be
done," Ilko had said concerning the unit's mission.
"I'm a specialist here, too," Beret, an Army medic,
had said, "So I understand."
But when they found out Mike, along with his fellow
soldiers, were coming home for nine days during the
holidays, they chose to have labor induced so Mike
could share in little Elizabeth's birth. She was born
Tuesday, December 21 at Volunteer General Hospital in
Martin under the care of Dr. Elizabeth Lund, with Mike
assisting.
"I helped deliver her," he said, "Not that I knew what
I was doing." Mike noted he even cut the umbilical
cord.
"She has a head full of red hair," Elizabeth's proud
dad said Wednesday.
Concerning being a first-time father, Mike said, "It's
pretty neat; there's no feeling like it."
Ordinarily, Mike works for Klopfenstein Construction
of McKenzie as "a licensed electrician, carpenter,
plumber - the whole nine yards. You name it, we do
it," he says. For now, outside of Guard duties, Beret
plans to be a fulltime mom.
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Carroll, Henry Jobless Rates
Unchanged in November, Weakley Down |
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By Linda Bolton
linda@mckenziebanner.com |
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Unemployment in Carroll and Henry counties remained
unchanged from the October to November reporting
period, while Weakley County’s rate declined 1.1
percent, according to latest statistics released by
the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce
Development.
Carroll County reported a 9.8 percent jobless rate,
while Henry County’s unemployment rate was 8.6 percent
and Weakley County was 6.3 percent for November. For
the same period last year, Carroll County’s rate was
12 percent, Henry County was 10 percent, and Weakley
County was 8.2 percent.
>From a labor force of 12,300 workers in Carroll
County, a total of 11,100 were employed, leaving 1,200
unemployed.
Henry County has an available work force of 14,730,
with 13,460 employed and 1,270 unemployed.
Weakley County has a labor force of 16,600, with
15,560 employed and 1,040 jobless.
Tennessee’s unemployment rate for the month of
November was 5.0 percent, down slightly from the
seasonally adjusted October rate of 5.1 percent,
Commissioner of Labor & Workforce Development James
Neeley said.
“The state rate remains below the November national
rate of 5.4 percent and has fallen from the state rate
of 6.1 percent in November 2003,” said Neeley. “Major
year-to-year employment increases occurred in leisure
and hospitality jobs as well as jobs in trade,
transportation and utilities,” he continued.
The October-to-November figures show increases in
trade, transportation and utilities jobs, up by 9,800.
Increases were also seen in government jobs, up by
2,300. Month-to-month seasonal decreases took place in
arts, entertainment and recreation jobs down by 1,500.
Accommodations jobs declined by 700.
From November 2003 to November 2004, leisure and
hospitality jobs increased by 5,900. Trade,
transportation and utilities jobs increased by 5,800.
Jobs in educational and health services rose by 4,700.
Decreases took place in administrative and waste
services, down 1,600 jobs. Information jobs decreased
1,100 jobs.
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Industrial Board Efforts Yield 245 New Jobs in 2004
Three vacant buildings filled |
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By Joel Washburn
washburn@mckenziebanner.com |
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Some 245 new jobs are in McKenzie, thanks, in part, to
the efforts of the McKenzie Industrial Board. The jobs
generate some $6,093,000 in annual payroll. During the
annual Christmas dinner on December 14, Executive
Director Billy Barksdale reported that the industrial
board had a very successful year.
Barksdale said McKenzie attracted 245 new jobs and
filled three empty buildings in the process. The year
2004 began with New Generations Furniture expanding
into the previously vacated Gaines Manufacturing
Company on Highland Drive and ended with the Tennessee
Department of Human Services occupying the vacant J&J
Supermarket building, creating 70 new jobs.
The Industrial Board invested some $1,610,000 in
various projects, said Barksdale. He was quick to give
credit to the McKenzie City Council, Carroll County
Chamber of Commerce, Henry County Chamber of Commerce,
West Tennessee Industrial Association, and the
Tennessee Department of Economic and Community
Development for their assistance in various projects.
The following are some highlights of 2004:
*New Generations' expansion to the former Gaines
Manufacturing building allowed a supplier, Pierce
Foam, to relocate to McKenzie, where it leases space
from New Generations.
*Profile Metal Forming, in the North McKenzie
Industrial Park, doubled its manufacturing space and
added employees.
*Cutting Specialists, Inc. (CSI) purchased the
formerly vacant American Lantern building in December.
The company is consolidating its Paris and McKenzie
operations into the one location in McKenzie on State
Route 22 N.
*Department of Human Services added a service center
in the former J&J Supermarket building on South Main
Street. The center is one of three in Tennessee. It
provides 70 jobs to individuals, who provides
information and services to recipients of TennCare,
Food Stamp, and Families First. McKenzie Industrial
Board provided some $500,000 to renovate the building.
The IDB will recoup its investment over a number of
years.
Other projects included the installation of a new roof
on the Vyn-All facility.
McKenzie is home to 20 industries with some 1,933
employees, according to the West Tennessee Industrial
Association.
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These stories and more exclusively
in the print edition: |
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- McKenzie Branch of Farmers and Merchants Bank to
Open January 3
- Priority Groups for Flu Vaccination Expanded
- Guardsmen, Families Enjoy Christmas
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Phone (731) 352-3323 or Fax (731)
352-3322
washburn@mckenziebanner.com
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