Adamsville’s turn-around season was extended last Thursday with a win against Madison in the opening round of the District 15-A Tournament, but the Cards suffered a loss to Trinity Christian Academy in the semifinals at Middleton last Saturday.

The Lady Bobcats defeated Fayette-Ware and Chester County on their way to a runner up finish, which was culminated with a heart-breaking loss to Bolivar Central in the finals of this year’s district tournament last Monday.

The 2012-2013 Ramer Eagles take home the county championship after defeating Adamsville 40-25 in the finals of the McNairy County Junior High Basketball Tournament. Ramer finished the season with a 15-1 record overall and an undefeated record in county play. The Eagles are coached by Jeremy Blakely.

The 2012-2013 Selmer Lady Lions are county champions following their 35-24 victory over the Bethel Lady Rebels in the finals of the McNairy County Junior High Basketball Tournament. Selmer finished the season with a 13-2 record overall and an undefeated record in county play. The Lady Lions are coached by Robin York.

Danny Churchwell and Bessie Jarrett will bring decades of musical experience to the stage Valentine’s evening at the “For the Love of Literacy” dessert tasting fundraiser at the Selmer Community Center. 

Treat your special someone to a night they will never forget. This year, visit the second annual “For the Love of Literacy” dessert tasting as part of your Valentine’s celebration. Featuring live music, dancing, door prizes and all of the candy, chocolates and baked sweets you can eat, it’s a wonderful evening for a price that is easy on your wallet.

Selmer firemen battle a fire on New Bethel Road last Monday morning. The house was owned by Shirley Sweat, according to neighbors. The identities of the tenants were unknown as of press time Tuesday. Selmer firefighter Chris Hansen told the Independent Appeal last Monday that there was an extensive amount of smoke, fire and water damage. The fire seemed to have started in the attic, and that was where there was the most fire damage.

In what turned out to be one of the most lopsided first halves ever, the McNairy Central Lady Bobcats came out on top when they hosted Jackson Central-Merry last Friday.

A fierce winter storm lashed McNairy County late last week. The storm began as a balmy rain storm with temperatures hovering near the 70 degree mark on Saturday. It then brought near freezing temps and flooding on Sunday, and a persistent wintery mix to the area on Monday and Tuesday. The combo of floods and ice also kept area students home Monday and Tuesday. No significant damage from the storm had been reported as of press time Tuesday.

Walmart has been hit by thieves for the third time in as many months.

McNairy County Board of Education voted at its meeting last Thursday to support the suggestion of McNairy County Sheriff Guy Buck to put School Resource Officers in the schools. This vote came after Buck addressed the board on the topic.

The Bobcats played host to the Trojans last Saturday in their second meeting this season and looked to come away with the sweep.

When Adamsville traveled to Hardin County last Saturday, both the boys’ and the girls’ teams coughed up leads to their rivals across the river, and both came home empty-handed.

The Bobcats were able to come away with the district sweep last Friday night when the Lexington High School Tigers came to town.

A Selmer woman who was the victim of a violent assault on July 2, 2012, has died. Pamela Pitts, 52, who was allegedly assaulted by her nephew, Christopher R. Scott at 235 State St. in Selmer, died on Dec. 24, 2012. Scott, 33 of Milledgeville, is alleged to have assaulted both Pitts and his grandmother Earline Kirby in the attack. 

A rash of suspected dog poisonings in the Country Club Lane area of North Selmer has pet owners worried and residents looking for a source of the outbreak.

In breaking news, two suspects were captured and Sheriff’s deputies are on the lookout for two others following a manhunt of burglary suspects accused of breaking into the home of Ryan Sisk in the Leapwood area last Friday. 

Playing host to the annual McNairy Central Christmas Classic, the Bobcats and Lady Bobcats came out unblemished after four games against stiff competition.

The Adamsville Cardinals met tough competition but struggled mightily at the McNairy Central Christmas Classic last weekend in Selmer. The Lady Cardinals took a loss in their opener but bounced back in their second contest.

A film crew from the Investigation Discovery channel was in Selmer last week for a followup story on the Mary Winkler case. The journalists filmed at various locations in and around Selmer, including the Independent Appeal offices. 

A former state trooper was arrested last Wednesday for allegedly stealing two big screen televisions from Walmart in Selmer.

It might not have been the prettiest game ever played, but the Bobcats picked up their third consecutive win over the Cardinals when the rivals met at “The Nest” on Dec. 4.

The last time the Lady Cardinals beat the Lady Bobcats on the basketball court, George W. Bush’s approval rating was still above 50 percent, and the Tennessee Volunteers were the most recent SEC team to claim a national championship.

Following last month’s paper tiger abolition of the Bethel Springs Police Department by the outgoing board, the fate of the city’s recently-fired, lone officer, Chief T.E. “Pee-Wee Sowell was very much in doubt. Following the meeting, however, Sowell left for a steak dinner with a smile on his face. 

Lady Bobcats opened their season with two wins in their Hall of Fame games.

This year Duncan's Christmas Tree Farm in Selmer is celebrating its 20th year of making holiday memories for McNairy County families. However, the 20th anniversary is not the only thing people are talking about these days when it comes to Duncan's; recently the farm was selected by Tennessee's First Lady Crissy Haslam, to provide a Christmas tree for the governor's mansion.   

The Cardinals made the Mustangs look like mere ponies in Adamsville’s quarterfinal shutout of Loretto last Friday at Lendon Martin Memorial Stadium.

Coming off last year’s championship season, the Lady Blue Devils made a statement, showing the county they are determined to repeat by winning a tournament hosted by Savannah Christian Academy last Thursday and Friday.

For most teams, 20 days off might cause a little rust to build up, especially when the team has all the momentum of riding a nine-game winning streak. For the Adamsville Cardinals, it was not an issue.

Republican Byron Maxedon defeated Democrat Kevin Lipford in the one local county race for Circuit Court Clerk. This vacancy was created when Ronnie Brooks was elected County Mayor in August.

Approximately 50 runners took their mark at the starting line last Saturday morning at The Marty Community Center in Adamsville for the 3rd Annual 5K Run for the Paws, but the running excitement did not stop there.

Several traveled to Selmer immediately after to compete as part of the 75 participants who registered for the 2nd Annual Fall Hog 5K held at Selmer City Park.

Selmer Dixie Park flooded with people last Saturday for the 2nd Annual Fall Hog BBQ Festival.

The McNairy Central High School Marching Band takes fifth place overall in the finals of the Division II Marching Band State Championship in Thompson’s Station, Tenn. The Bobcats received superior ratings last Saturday for overall band, percussion, and drum major. MCHS also earned an excellent rating for color guard.

The junior high basketball season got underway last Monday as all county teams came to Adamsville Jr./Sr. High School to get their season started at the annual Tip-Off Classic.

Opening the 2012 Division I BlueCross Bowl Class 2A Football Playoffs, the top-seeded Adamsville Cardinals (9-1) will host a second-round game against the No. 4-seed Mt. Pleasant Tigers (7-4) Friday night at 7 p.m.

For the Adamsville Cardinal Bowling Team, the 2011-2012 season was full of successes for the girls and some disappointments for the boys. This year, both look to improve upon the previous season’s results.

The Bobcats ended their season last Friday when they played host to the Lexington Tigers on senior night.

The Dog Day in the Park, sponsored by 4 My Pets Grooming, includes contests, a raffle and a silent auction, music, horse back rides, cow wagon rides, mule wagon rides, kiddie train rides, lots of food and more.

The Cardinals traveled to McKenzie, Tenn., to take on the Rebels for their last game of the regular season, and Adamsville came away with its ninth straight victory.

After beginning the season 0-7, the McNairy Central Bobcats have circled the wagons and won two games in a row.

The Bobcats traveled to Bolivar, Tenn., last Friday night and ran their way to their first victory of the season.

The winningest senior class in Adamsville Football history put an exclamation point on its district championship with a win over the Middleton Tigers on senior night last Friday at Lendon Martin Memorial Stadium.

The Bobcats fought hard when they traveled to Jackson, Tenn. to take on Jackson Central-Merry in their fourth district game of the year. The weather stopped the game after halftime, and McNairy Central was sent home with yet another loss.

Taylor Henry’s fifth interception of the season was a big one for the Adamsville Cardinals, giving the team a much needed spark in a memorable win over the Hardin County Tigers last Friday in front of the estimated 3,000 people in attendance at Lendon Martin Memorial Stadium.

McNairy Central hosted the Eagles from Chester County last Friday night but failed to come away with a victory to end homecoming week happily.

Last season, the Cardinals destroyed the Lions 69-19 to improve to 3-0 in the district and clinch the championship. This year, it was much of the same as they rolled to another big victory and became the first team in West Tennessee to earn a playoff berth.

Adamsville head coach Brandon Gray said Collinwood was probably the best competition his team has faced all season, but that did not stop the Cardinals from rolling to a 23-point Homecoming victory over the now 4-1 Trojans.

Three big plays early in the game yielded all the scoring fans would see in the defensive slugfest that determined this year’s county champion on the junior high football gridiron, and the Bethel Springs Rebels are proud to be wearing the crown.

Does it feel warmer than normal this year? Unless we see snowmen this year on Halloween, 2012 is slated to be the warmest ever recorded for West Tennessee. In fact, according to the National Climatic Data Center, this year has been the warmest on record for Memphis, the Mid-South, the Eastern U.S. and the world.

A car turning left across Highway 45 South Mulberry Avenue failed to yield the right of way while entering traffic and caused a collision with a motorcycle last Wednesday morning.

Staff Photo by Jeff Whitten

Julia Stevens is the new Curator at the Buford Pusser Home and Museum in Adamsville. Like a lot of people during the recession, her job search was met with rejection until she found the place she believes she was meant to be.

The 17th annual Broomcorn festival sponsored by Hockaday Handmade Brooms and Arts in McNairy was held last Saturday at the Selmer City park. Hundreds of visitors came to the festival to see the various artisans showing their wares. 

The Bobcats traveled to South Side High School in Jackson, Tenn. last Friday but failed to return home with a win.

Though Scotts Hill came into the game following the best start in the school’s brief football history, it did not take Lions fans long to realize the Cardinals were not there to mess around.

Freddie Burns has lived an eventful 98 years. He went from humble beginnings to hobnobbing with the famous and entertaining the multitudes.