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News Headlines
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
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National Agriculture winners awarded new truck |
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By David
Fisher
Staff
Reporter |
A Weakley County couple claimed their prize of a brand new
Dodge truck on Tuesday at Tom Taylor’s auto dealership in
Martin.
John and Mary Margaret Chester of Martin, who competed
against other young farmers from across the nation, were
named winners of the National Young Farmer and Rancher
Excellence in Agriculture competition held at the American
Farm Bureau Federation’s 89th annual meeting in New Orleans
during the month of January, 2008.
As winners, one of the Chester’s prizes is a 2008 Dodge Ram
1500 pick-up truck, plus free registration to the 2008 Young
Farmer and Rancher Leadership Conference.
A goodly number of area dignitaries were on hand for the
truck presentation, including: Weakley County Mayor Houston
Patrick; Lacy Upchurch, president of the Tennessee Farm
Bureau; Charles Curtis, Director of Special Programs for the
Tennessee Farm Bureau, who served as emcee; Ben Moore, State
Young Farmer Chairman; Andy Holt, Weakley County Young
Farmer Chairman; Mike Freeman, Weakley County Young Farmer
President; Phil Carr, Agency Manager of Weakley County Farm
Bureau Insurance Service; Mike Taylor, owner of the Tom
Taylor dealership; James L. Byford, Dean of the College of
Agriculture and Applied Sciences at UT Martin; Dr. Jerry
Gresham, Dean of the Department of Agriculture; members of
the news media and others.
Tennessee Farm Bureau President Lacy Upchurch said, “I just
want to thank everyone for coming out this morning to be
with us during this truck presentation. On Behalf of
Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, our board of directors and
a lot of leaders here in the audience today, we want to
congratulate John and Mary Margaret for the great job that
they did in representing Tennessee and winning this truck.
We appreciate them and their leadership. We look forward to
them being leaders for years to come in the Farm Bureau. We
appreciate all of you in what you do to help make this
presentation so successful this morning. Congratulations.”
Next to speak was State Young Farmer Chairman Ben Moore, who
said, “It’s really a special occasion whenever you get to
come to a truck presentation; but it’s even more special
when the person you’re presenting the truck to comes from
your home county. John and Mary Margaret are not strangers
to myself. I’ve known them for about the last 10 years. We
went to college together. We were in each other’s weddings.
So, I’m really happy and honored to be here. I want to
congratulate you from our family, and also, the Tennessee
Young Farmers and Ranchers.”
Weakley County Young Farmer Chairman Andy Holt said,
“Sometimes I think how much John and I are alike, both
coming from East Tennessee, and both enjoying farming and
the Farm Bureau and everything we participate in. You know,
they told men back in the late 1800s there was whiskey and
gold in California, and basically, all they told us was that
there is women and farming in West Tennessee,” Holt joked.
“On behalf of the county, and our young farmers and
ranchers, which John has been heavily involved in, we do
want to say congratulations John and Mary Margaret, and we
are extremely proud of you.”
Weakley County Young
Farmer President Mike Freeman said, “I really do want to
express our county board’s appreciation to you all. We are
extremely proud to have stock like you all. It’s not often –
I’ve thought about it many times – that the Young Farmers
organization can almost lead some of us older people, and
set good examples for us concerning things we need to do on
the county level. We appreciate all of the leadership we
have in Weakley County. I just want to say congratulations.”
(Check out the rest of this story in this
week's print edition of the Dresden Enterprise!) |
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Weakley County Schools affected by USDA beef
recall |
The Weakley County School System is among those Tennessee
counties affected by the recent nationwide beef recall,
which has been described as one of the largest beef recalls
in the nation’s history.
Neighboring school systems in Henry, and Carroll counties
are also listed as having received some of the recalled
beef.
Agriculture Department records indicate that seven cases of
the beef were in the Weakley County School System, 22 cases
in McKenzie City Schools, eight cases in Henry County
Schools, four in the Paris Special School District, and one
case in Huntingdon schools.
According to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, 224.5
cases, or 8,980 pounds of meat were determined to be in
schools in the state. The department has identified 30
schools systems with the recalled beef.
Westland/Hallmark Meat Company will eventually reimburse the
schools for the unusable ground beef.
Fortunately, no illnesses have been reported from the meat
and school officials have offered public assurances the beef
would not be used.
The public became aware of the situation on February 17,
when the U.S. Department of Agriculture ordered the recall
of 143 million pounds of frozen beef from a California
slaughterhouse, which was the subject of an animal-abuse
investigation that provided meat to school lunch programs.
Officials said it was the largest beef recall in the United
States, surpassing a 1999 ban of 35 million pounds of
ready-to-eat meats. No illnesses have been linked to the
newly recalled meat, and officials said the health threat
was likely small.
The recall will affect beef products dating to Feb. 1, 2006
that came from Chino-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Company,
the federal agency said.
About 30 school systems across Tennessee already had been
asked to hold off on serving the meat.
Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer said his department has
evidence that Westland did not routinely contact its
veterinarian when cattle became non-ambulatory after passing
inspection, violating health regulations.
“Because the cattle did
not receive complete and proper inspection, Food Safety and
Inspection Service has determined them to be unfit for human
food and the company is conducting a recall,” Schafer said
in a statement.
(Read the rest of this story and see
the pictures in the
February 27th print edition of the Dresden Enterprise.) |
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Harassment of Weakley County 911 dispatchers case continued |
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By David
Fisher
Staff
Reporter |
The case involving a South Fulton man charged with harassing
emergency dispatchers in Weakley County during the month of
November has been continued.
According to Weakley County Circuit Court Clerk Pam Belew,
during a hearing in Weakley County General Sessions Court on
Wednesday, the case against Danny Webster of 1820 Wolf Creek
Road in South Fulton, has been continued until Wednesday,
March 26.
An affidavit signed by Investigator Candice F. Winstead of
the Weakley County Sheriff’s Department states that at
approximately 1:45 a.m. on November 24, 2007, Webster began
calling the dispatchers of Weakley County 911. Between this
time and 6:41 a.m., Webster allegedly called a total of 60
times and tied up phone lines during a time when the
dispatchers were attempting to handle other calls. And
Webster was told numerous times to stop calling. Several
deputies also talked to Webster and asked him to stop
calling. According to the affidavit, Webster would sometimes
just call and hang up.
However, court records indicate that this was not the first
time Webster had tied up the dispatcher’s phone lines. An
earlier affidavit states that on November 12, 2007 Webster
called dispatchers of the Weakley County 911 office. Webster
reportedly called a total of 38 times between the hours of
11:22 p.m. and 11:59 p.m., which tied up all administrative
lines. The affidavit also states that Webster called a total
of 63 times on November 13, between the hours of midnight
and 3:22 a.m., for a total of 101 phone calls.
Webster was offered assistance numerous times by dispatch,
but he refused to give his location, making statements such
as, “Come find me” and “You can’t find me.”
Investigator Winstead
states in the affidavit “By tying up valuable resources,
Webster not only harassed the dispatchers, but also
endangered the public’s safety.”
(Read the rest of this story in this week's print edition of the Dresden Enterprise.) |
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Martin man charged with rape of child |
The Martin Police Department has charged a Martin man for
allegedly raping a child.
According to Martin Police Chief David Moore, the defendant,
Donald L. Riley, 38, of 142 Harrison Road Apt. in Martin,
was charged with rape of a child on Wednesday, February 20,
2008.
Chief Moore states that the investigation leading to Riley’s
arrest came after a 12-year-old female victim filed a
complaint on February 5, 2008, in which the child alleged
that Riley had unlawful sexual contact with her during the
evening hours of February 4, 2008.
During his arraignment in the Weakley County General
Sessions Court on February 21, Riley was ordered to appear
for his preliminary hearing on Wednesday, February 27.
Riley is currently held in the Weakley County Detention
Center in lieu of a $500,000 bond. |
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