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News Headlines
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
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Weakley County Commission
approves FY 2008-2009 budget |
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By David
Fisher
Staff
Reporter |
Members of the Weakley County Commission approved the final
version of the county’s budget for fiscal year 2008-2009,
during their formal session scheduled for Monday, July 28.
Commissioners also approved a request to supply additional
funding for Carroll Academy, in order to continue providing
educational instruction for Weakley County’s court-remanded
students in junior high and high school.
The FY 2008-2009 budget does not include any pay raises for
county employees. While state statutory pay raises are
included for county officials, the Finance Committee members
stated that they felt there was not adequate funding to
provide for pay raises without increasing the local property
taxes.
FY 2008-2009 Budget
Weakley County’s budget for fiscal year 2008-2009, as
recommended by members of the Finance, Ways & Means
Committee, was approved by the full commission, by a vote of
17 to 1, with Commissioner Kevin McAlpin casting the only
dissenting vote. This resolution makes appropriations for
various funds, departments, institutions, offices and
agencies of Weakley County.
A resolution fixing the tax levy for Weakley County during
FY 2008-2009 was also approved by a 17-0 vote, with McAlpin
voting against the resolution.
The budget includes a
property tax decrease from the current rate of $2.37 to
$2.0616 per $100 of assessed value, as mandated by state
law. The reason for proposing a decrease in the property tax
rate is due to the re-certification of the tax rate, which
takes into account the reappraisal of properties in Weakley
County that result in an overall increase in property value
countywide. Since property will be valued higher, and the
property tax lowered, the end result is that the total
amount of funds raised from local property taxes will be the
same. According to Weakley County Assessor of Property David
Tuck, roughly 18,000 properties in the county increased in
value, while about 1,300 properties depreciated. He
explained that the decrease in value was for a variety of
reasons, such as when a house burns, or a mobile home is
moved off of a property.
(Check out the rest of this story in this
week's print edition of the Dresden Enterprise!) |
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State Primary and County General Elections -
August 7 |
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By David
Fisher
Staff
Reporter |
Weakley County citizens are preparing to cast their ballots
in the upcoming State Democratic Primary, State Republican
Primary and County General Election scheduled to take place
on August 7, 2008.
Weakley County General Elections
The only contested race on the ballot is for the District-7
Weakley County Commissioner’s seat left vacant by last
year’s resignation of Commissioner James Barner. Beth
Vancleave of Martin was appointed to fill Commissioner
Barner’s unexpired term during the January meeting of the
Weakley County Commission. Vancleave is running for the seat
as an Independent candidate, while Bob Bell was selected to
run for the District-7 seat by Weakley County Democratic
Party members.
Dale Overton, who was appointed to serve the unexpired term
of District-6 Commissioner Don Malone following his death,
has qualified to formally run for the office, but has no
opposition for the post.
All other county incumbents will run unopposed in their bids
for re-election in the upcoming August elections. They are:
· Assessor
of Property - David Tuck
· School
Board members – District 1 - Gath Meeks;
District 3 - Jeff Perkins; District 5 – Barbara Trentham;
District 7 - Doug Sims; and District 9 – Sarah Ann
Pentecost.
· Highway
Commission member – Bobby Robinson,
representing Districts 2,3 and 4.
(Read the rest of this story in the
July 30th print edition of the Dresden Enterprise.) |
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Preliminary hearings reset in separate murder
cases |
Court proceedings have been reset for two Weakley County
defendants in two separate, unrelated murder cases.
Preliminary hearings for Thomas Randall “Randy” Pruitt and
Jason D. Kayser will be held in Weakley County General
Sessions Court on Friday, August 15, starting at 9 a.m.
Pruitt, 30, of Gleason is charged with second-degree murder
in connection with the shooting death of his father,
61-year-old James Thomas “Doodle” Pruitt, during a domestic
dispute on May 15, 2008, which took place at the family home
located at 2570 East Grove Road, between Gleason and
McKenzie.
According to Weakley County Sheriff’s Department
Investigator Randall McGowan, the shooting occurred when
James Pruitt attempted to intervene in a domestic dispute
between his wife and their son, Randy Pruitt.
Pruitt, who has remained jailed in the Weakley County
Detention Center without bond since his arrest, is charged
with second-degree murder, a Class A Felony.
The Public Defender’s Office, staffed by Public Defender Joe
Atnip and Assistant Public Defender Colin Johnson, have been
appointed to represent Pruitt.
Pruitt has a previous conviction for manslaughter, serving
five years in prison for fatally stabbing a man in Carroll
County in June 1998.
Jason Douglas Kayser, 32, of 1518 Gaylord Road near the
Sidonia Community, is charged with second-degree murder in
the April 15, 2008 death of his wife, April Kayser.
Kayser was initially arrested for domestic assault on
Friday, April 11, 2008, after allegedly beating his wife at
their home and waiting 18 hours before driving her to the
emergency room at Volunteer Community Hospital in Martin.
While at the emergency room, Kayser admitted to
investigators that he struck his wife several times during a
fight at the couple’s residence. At that time, Kayser was
taken into custody and charged with aggravated domestic
assault.
(Read the rest of this story in the
July 30th print edition of the Dresden Enterprise.) |
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Charges still pending in Jackson stabbing death |
No charges had been filed at press time against Paul Honaker
of Gleason, stabbing suspect in the death of McKenzian Linda
Jackson. Honaker apparently stabbed Jackson at her home on
Carroll Street Wednesday, July 16, then turned the knife on
himself, according to authorities.
McKenzie Police Lieutenant Tim Nanney said charges are
pending at this time. Honaker underwent surgery at The Med
on Thursday, July 17, and was released from The Medical
Center last week, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
However, he remains at another undisclosed location in
Memphis, said Nanney. He would not reveal if the new
location is another medical facility.
Shortly after responding to the Jackson home late Wednesday,
July 16, McKenzie Police Sgt. Richard Sawyers heard a
woman’s screams coming from the interior of the house. Upon
entering the home, he found Jackson with critical injuries
to the chest. Honaker was found on the floor of the living
room, with the handle of a knife protruding from the center
of his lower chest.
Both were prepared for airlift to The Medical Center in
Memphis, however, Ms. Jackson’s condition deteriorated and
she was pronounced dead following an emergency stop at
Jackson-Madison County General Hospital.
(Check out the rest of this story in this
week's print edition of the Dresden Enterprise!) |
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