Driving through Selmer last week, you might have noticed free produce being handed out at the south Y. This is the work of Petra Ministries International Fellowship Inc.

Arts in McNairy did not miss their mark with their most recent production of the comedy Fools, a brilliantly amusing Neil Simon play set in a Ukrainian town cursed by stupidity.

More than 25 citizens attended a meeting last Thursday to develop their grassroots campaign to save the Guys Post Office that has served their community since the early 1900’s.

Selmer saw its second set of traffic cameras become fully operational in July, and according to Selmer’s Mayor, David Robinson, the cameras are doing their job.

The McNairy County Sheriff’s Department has a new weapon to catch burglars, according to Sheriff Guy Buck.  They now can collect the DNA and send it to the TBI for analysis.

Selmer Mayor David Robinson, in an interview with the Independent Appeal, explained the details of the contract to repair Selmer streets from the damage done by the replacement of the water pipes.

Last Saturday was Dena McDonald’s second time to sell her vegetables at the Selmer Farmers’ Market. She and her parents set up early Saturday morning with vegetables they had grown in their garden, selling them for only $1 per bag.

The McNairy County Commission convened last Monday night for their monthly meeting before a standing room only audience of more than 200 people, most of them wearing baseball uniforms. 

McNairy County Adult Education is in financial need due to recent reduction of funds normally granted from United Way. 

The 2011 Adamsville City Commissioner Election will be uncontested after Dwana Pusser-Garrison removed herself from the ballot due to health related issues.

The town of Milledgeville’s post-office is on a list of 3000 facilities that could be closed across the United States, according to Mayor Dannie Kennedy.

Adamsville Elementary School teacher Jamie Stutts, 40-year-old resident of Hardin County, and her 12-year-old daughter Laurie were involved in a single vehicle accident while heading north on Caney Branch Road around 7:30 a.m., according to Trooper Charles Stewart of the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

In many ways Kim Findley’s two full-time jobs as a patrolman for the Selmer Police Department and a mother seem like polar opposites, but, in fact, her tasks at home and work are very similar.

Five area post offices are on a list for possible closure, according to a press release from the U.S. Postal Service.  The postal service is studying closing post offices in Guys, Milledgeville, Shiloh, Morris Chapel and Saltillo.

This economic recovery is often described as a jobless recovery. We are two years and two months into the recovery and unemployment in the nation stands at 9.1 percent.

Before I start on this week’s topic I wanted to say a few more words about last week’s column.  As pointed out by William Lee “Bill” Browder in a letter to the editor, Social Security and Medicare are not funded by general revenues, but have their separate trust funds.

Last Sunday Adamsville welcomed Miss USA runner-up Ashley Durham home during a reception from 1-3 p.m. at the Marty.

The unemployment rate for McNairy County increased to 11.9 percent from 11.2 the previous month, according to non-seasonally adjusted figures from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development released Friday.

According to the Center for Disease Control, in 2008 33.5 percent of adults in McNairy County were classified as obese, meaning they had a Body Mass Index of 30 percent or higher.  

Generation 1000 returned to the Selmer Park for the third year. The event originated in Lexington, Tenn. and has branched to Selmer for their thirteenth overall event. 

McNairy County now has the luxury of two glass stores in the heart of downtown Selmer, and oddly enough, they are right across the street from one another.

Dr. James H. Smith, known as “Dr. Jim,” spoke to the McNairy County Historical Society last Tuesday in Selmer about his family history and how the practice of medicine has changed in the half-century he has been involved in it.

Last Thursday, James D. Kirk, 52, of Pocahontas was ejected from a 1996 Oldsmobile Bravado while traveling alone on Steadman Road in Selmer.

Michie candidates for Mayor Mike Glisson and Anthony Smith have communicated their priorities to the Independent Appeal.

Two were injured after a truck traveling in the eastbound lane of US Highway 64 lost control, crossed over the median into westbound traffic, struck a utility pole, and finally rested standing on a tree trunk after running into a well, a pole shed, and the home of Glen Wilbanks on the morning of July 21.

Two marijuana plants standing approximately two feet in height were discovered by local constable and lawn care professional, Dennis Miller of Selmer, on July 19. They were growing next to Burger King’s parking lot on Mulberry Avenue.

The Pastor’s Wife, a television movie about the Mary Winkler case, has been cast, according to the Internet Movie Database.

The Tennessee Department of Education recently released the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program Achievement Test scores for the 2010-11 school year. 

The town of Adamsville plans to welcome Ashley Durham, who was recently named as first runner up in the Miss USA pageant, home on July 31 at the Adamsville Community Center (The Marty).

The parking lot flooded at the Selmer Park on July 23 with the annual Crunk Fest holding its third event.  Church members and people gathered from all around to entertain, learn, have fun, and rejoice.

This is the first in a series of columns I hope to be doing regularly.  However, this is a different type of column because I won’t be expressing my opinion here.  I don’t believe newspaper reporters have any business telling you what to think.

The Selmer Board of Aldermen voted to fund street repairs and park cleanup at a special called meeting Friday, July 22.

Three citizens of Adamsville have thrown their names into the hat for the Oct. 1 election for the two open chairs on the Adamsville City Commission.

Wally Flint’s life has always been transparent.  From sharing the secret of his childhood boss to opening up about his minor troubles as a teen as a way to help the troubled teens he worked with, Flint has never been one to keep a secret.

Guys mayor and board of aldermen met in regular session July 18 and reviewed and approved the final reading of the 2011 – 2012 budget totaling $167,487.00.

Although the Finger square dance is drawing more people before the Tumbleweeds began to play there, summer is bringing a reduction in the number of square dancers who come to Finger each Friday night.

The Bethel Springs Board of Aldermen passed the budget for the next fiscal year at a special meeting.  The meeting, held June 30, passed the budget on second and final reading.

McNairy County had 18 foreclosures, down three from the previous month, according to RealtyTrac.  The rate for the county increased from one in 1,170 to one in 659 homes.

A Ramer man was injured in a one-car crash on Highway 57 Sunday, July 24.

The Selmer Jaycees organized a Fun Day Back-to-school Bash to help benefit people in the community that have fallen on hard times. 

The Ramer City Commission voted to appropriate $200 to the Ramer 14-year-old all stars to help fund their trip to the World Series and $100 for the 9-10 and 11-12 year-old All Stars for their trip to the state tournament.

The leading destination for comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation of disorders of the hand, wrist and elbow is the Hand Specialty Center of Tennessee located at McNairy Regional Hospital.

The 2012 Tennessee presidential primary is moving to March.

The McNairy County Fair saw a decent turnout while it was in town last week.

The McNairy County Sheriff’s Department held a car sale on Saturday. The sale of around 20 cars garnered around $16,000. Sheriff Guy Buck said he was satisfied with the results.

Sailing down the river serving food to tourists on the Arkansas explorer, working unceasingly to help a group of determined students to publish a school newspaper on deadline, and sitting shocked while being announced as Tennessee’s artist in residence do not seem like circumstances that one person could find themselves in during one lifetime.

The Extreme Experience children’s bible school concluded its week long event July 15 at Selmer City Park. This non-denominational event was sponsored by Freedom Ministries who brought it to McNairy County from Jacksonville, Fla.

Adamsville’s newest industry, American Powersports Manufacturing Company, is being forced to reschedule hiring because of complications with space availability inside the old Garan building.

Two candidates will be vying for Mayor and two running unopposed for two Aldermen positions in the Aug. 27 elections.

The Selmer Parks and Recreation Department began its celebration of Parks and Recreation Month with the Freedom Festival on July 4.

The Selmer Board of Aldermen approved $2,500 in funding for the One to One school technology program at its meeting Tuesday, July 12.

Bethel Springs has applied for a $500,000 water grant, Mayor Kay Cox told the meeting of the Bethel Springs Board of Aldermen July 11.

When chair of Arts in McNairy’s Visual Arts Committee Vicki Cowan first conceived the idea for a traveling art show, made up of pieces created by McNairy County artists, she had no idea how much her idea would grow.

The McNairy County Board of Education authorized taking an option and surveying and civil engineering work  on the Falcon Road site for the proposed new Selmer Elementary School. 

On July 16, the McNairy County Republican Party hosted Elephants in the Park from 5-8 p.m.  

Skipping across a lake atop a pair of trick skis seems like the last place to find someone suffering from a chronic back injury.

McNairy County farms seem to have escaped unscathed by the extreme weather we have been experiencing.

If the merger between AT&T and T-Mobile is approved, all of McNairy County could have mobile broadband 4G LTE service within three years, according to an AT&T spokesman.

Milledgeville Mayor Danny Kennedy and Milledgeville Aldermen were met with complaints from community members and business owners about unkempt lawns in the town.

A housing rehabilitation meeting was held at Adamsville City Hall Thursday afternoon to distribute additional funding from the HOME Program and did not have quite the turnout necessary.

Bethesda Presbyterian church has resumed services, according to Rachel Dancer, wife of Pastor Chris Dancer.

Several local businesses are stepping up to offer fun, entertainment, and fellowship to McNairy County.

Shiloh Battlefield will host a reptile program inside the visitor center auditorium on the evening of Thursday July 21st, at 6:00 pm, Superintendent Woody Harrell announced today. 

Local State Senator Dolores Gresham (R-Somerville) announced today that the Arts in McNairy organization will receive a $4,500 rural project support arts grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission. 

Bethel Springs road repairs have concluded for now, according to City Recorder Erin Pickle.

The “I Hate Meth Act,” passed by the legislature and signed into law last month by Gov. Bill Haslam took effect on July 1.

A motorcyclist was killed Monday in a crash near Counce, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

Gypsy pavers are scamming people all over the nation. “Gypsy pavers” are workers that come to seal or pave your driveway, overcharge or do lousy work, and then disappear without a trace.

Technology is moving forward, and so is the way people communicate.  Sexting is going into the Tween Generation as one of many growing technological problems recently debated.

Work recently began on the Stantonville Veteran’s Memorial, to be built northeast of the Stantonville Civic Center and sponsored by the Ruritan club.

Guys mayor and board of aldermen discussed the progress on the tornado siren grant in their June 20 meeting.

The World Championship of Catfishing, the National Catfish Derby is set for July 9, 2011!

Bethel Springs road repairs have concluded for now, according to City Recorder Erin Pickle.

A press release from the University of Tennessee at Martin (UT-Martin) said tuition will be raised 9.9 percent beginning in the fall semester of 2011.

A McNairy jury found Jeremy J. Edick guilty of the felony offenses of the Rape of a Child, two counts of Aggravated Sexual Battery and Exploitation of a Minor by Electronic Means on Monday June 20, according to  District Attorney General Mike Dunavant.

The Buford Pusser Festival held at Buford Pusser Memorial Park in Adamsville during the last week of May saw a phenomenal turn out, earning over $5,000, and bringing tourism dollars in from as far as Indiana, Illinois, and Georgia, according to event coordinator Dwana Pusser-Garrison.

Sixty new GED graduates donned their cap and gown Sunday at the McNairy Central Little Theatre.

A three-band lineup highlighted the Bill Wagoner Memorial Bluegrass show that took place at the Adamsville Community Center on Boone Street Saturday, June 18.

McNairy County residents are doing inspiring things. Several of the area’s churches are working to bring blessings, love, and, most importantly, hope to the unfortunate residents of Smithville, Miss. whose homes were broken and  whose community was torn apart by a tornado that ravaged northeastern Mississippi in late April.

The McNairy Regional (MRA) alliance is currently attempting to bring the popular Food Network program Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives to McNairy County to visit some of our local restaurants.

The McNairy County Sheriff’s Department has implemented a computer aided dispatch (CAD) system that Investigator Brad Johnson says will be very beneficial to the county’s law enforcement.

The Selmer Board of Aldermen voted to reduce natural gas prices 10 percent to city gas customers at its June 14 meeting.

Anyone who has driven around Bethel Springs lately will notice the ride is much less bumpy than  it was on many of its streets and roads.

If you ever wondered who is charged with making sure restaurants and other food service establishments handle food in a safe and sanitary manner, the answer for this area is Stacy Deaton.

The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture’s Selmer Extension office will have a new  agent on July 1.

To 31-year-old Robert Deberry, of Shiloh, life is a daily battle, but one which he will not give up on. “I am never going to give up. I am going to get through this. I live for my wife and daughter,” he said.

Adamsville resident and Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) employee Robert Nowicki was killed in a crash near West Memphis, Monday.

The bright lights were not new to Adamsville’s Ashley Durham when she stepped onto stage this past Sunday for the Miss USA Pageant.  

Anthony Knight’s name will be put before the McNairy County Commission for County Mayor at its meeting next Monday, June 27.

When Arts in McNairy first conceived the idea for the Rockabilly Highway Revival in 2008 in conjunction with the planning for new public art in Selmer, no one could have imagined just how far the festival would go in years to come.

The City of Adamsville has signed a deal to lease the old Garan building to American Powersports Manufacturing Co (APMC).

The number of foreclosures in the county increased from 9 in March to 21 in May, according to RealtyTrac. The rate increased from 1 in 1,318 housing units to 1 in 1,170.

The Selmer Beer Board suspended the beer licenses at their June 13 meeting of two stores for allegedly selling beer to undercover informants without verifying their ages.

The jaws of life were used to pry open 69-year-old resident of Selmer Martha L. Treece’s 1989 Volvo so she could be airlifted to the Regional Medical Center in Memphis (MED) for treatment after Treece and Donald W. Cooper, 59, of Adamsville, collided in the westbound lane on US Highway 64 going towards Selmer Thursday afternoon.

The McNairy County Board of Education passed the budget for fiscal year 2011-12 at their meeting June 9.

After five years of hard work in numerous pageants, Sarah Stonier’s dreams of competing in the Miss Tennessee Pageant came to life on Saturday June 18, 2011. Sarah Stonier of Knoxville, Tenn. always admired Miss America when she was a child, at a time when her life was far from easy.

Disagreement between Adamsville Mayor David Leckner and the McNairy County Board of Education and especially its Chairman, Larry Smith, is nothing new.

Rickman Counseling held its grand opening on June 17 in Selmer. Business after hours was held after the ribbon cutting.

The Adamsville City Commission approved the 2011-2012 City Budget and will raise water rates in Adamsville to a proposed rate of $13.13, up from the previous rate of $10.10 monthly; effective July 1, 2011. Rates for outside of the city were also raised from $13.72 to a proposed rate of $20.58.

Last Wednesday, newcomers to Selmer reported potential human bones being brought to their home by their dog.

Stanley Alexander was acquitted of voluntary manslaughter in McNairy County Circuit Court Thursday.

Dannie Kennedy was sworn in as the new mayor of the city of Milledgeville after former mayor Leland Alexander finished his duties aligned with old business on Monday night at the monthly meeting of the Milledgeville Mayor and Board of Aldermen.

State Rep. Vance Dennis, who represents McNairy and other counties in the state House of Representatives, spoke to the McNairy County School Board at its meeting Thursday.

The Finger Square Dance is more than 40 years old but is not having a midlife crisis.

The McNairy County Board of Education heard audience preferences for the location of the new proposed Selmer Elementary School at a special called meeting on June 7.

Robert C. Wiley will celebrate his birthday on June 16th. Also on June the 16th, 2011 his anniversary 26 years to celebrate with his wife, Robert C. Wiley (wife) Vivian Wiley.

Assistant Director of Schools Dr. Brian Jackson unveiled two new summer programs at Thursday’s meeting of the McNairy County Board of Education.

Interim County Mayor Wilburn Gene Ashe told the Independent Appeal Wednesday that he will seek appointment to serve in his present post until the August 2012 election.

Hunter Burns is a remarkable teenager. He creates his own computer programs in his spare time. He loves movies and can name the cast and crew of all of his favorites. He can list the names of every president of the United States chronologically — forwards and backwards — and then tell you the names of their wives. 

Hunter is also among the 13 percent of U.S. children who have developmental disabilities and one of 26 children in the McNairy County school system who are affected with autism. 

Bereaved stunned by funeral home theft

Losing a loved one is never an easy thing to deal with, and making funeral arrangements has never been a pleasant duty. 

The family and loved ones of the late Kay White, however, had an even harder time than most due to a crime that left Shackleford funeral home in Adamsville unusable, and the bereaved reeling in disbelief. 

Hunter Burns is a remarkable teenager. He creates his own computer programs in his spare time. He loves movies and can name the cast and crew of all of his favorites. He can list the names of every president of the United States chronologically — forwards and backwards — and then tell you the names of their wives. 

Hunter is also among the 13 percent of U.S. children who have developmental disabilities and one of 26 children in the McNairy County school system who are affected with autism. 

About half of the top commercial property values in McNairy County are represented by industry. Aqua Glass comes in at number 1, Henco at number 5, General Electric at number 7, Spectrum at number 8 and United Stainless at number 9.

Prepare for broken hearts, wild parties, and disastrous consequences on June 10-14 at McNairy Central High School’s Little Theatre as Arts in McNairy presents Bye, Bye Birdie.

Adamsville is nearing a deal to bring a new industry to the Garan building

The National Weather Service (NWS) out of Memphis predicted heat indices well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit throughout last week and into the middle of this week with very low chances of precipitation or cooler weather.

Brandon Giles and the Tricky Two will take the main stage at the 3rd Annual Rockabilly Highway Revival at 7 p.m. Saturday night.

The state legislature has recently approved honoring two local heroes by renaming highways after them.

The University of Tennessee-Martin McNairy County Center in Selmer opened its doors to educate our county in the summer of 1998, and since then has seen tremendous growth and has paved the way for many McNairy County careers over the last 12 years.

This has not been a good year for municipal water users, as every city water department in McNairy County, except one, has raised its rates.

Photography is Ashley Bauman’s passion.

The Bethel Springs Board of Aldermen took the first step toward raising water rates at its meeting Monday.

Adamsville Police Department’s Ricky “Pee-Wee” Howell was named 2011’s Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Saturday at the 23^rd Annual Buford Pusser Festival in Adamsville.

McNairy County was once again buffeted by storms on May 25.

Construction recently began on a new agriculture building at McNairy Central High School, located adjacent to the school’s softball field.

Summer has already started for the students of McNairy County, but they aren’t putting down the books just yet. This June, the Irving Meek Jr. Public Library of Adamsville and the Jack McConnico Memorial Library of Selmer plan to once again offer summer reading programs to kids of all ages.

A deadly horse virus gave local horse trainer Kevin Hosea, the 2010 USTPA World Champion Ranch Sorter, a bit of a scare recently, but the threat to local horses remains low.

The Eastview Board of Aldermen passed the budget for fiscal year 2012 on second reading at a special called meeting May 24.

During their regularly scheduled meeting last Monday evening at the Stantonville Civic Center, Mayor Larry Raines and Aldermen Ed McDaniel and Larry Russell voted to donate $1,000 from the town to the Ruritan club to build a Veteran’s Memorial. 

McNairy County’s own Darren “Boomer” Taylor came home toting championship hardware after the first ever Pinewood Derby for special needs children was held May 14.

Each year, the McNairy County Foundation for Academic Excellence awards grants to teachers to fund innovative classroom projects. Gene Hebert announced the 2011 grant recipients:

The employment outlook looks just a shade brighter for college graduates this year, but the overall picture is still dim. 

The Eastview Water Board passed the Water Department budget and the Board of Aldermen passed the city budget at their meetings May 17.

Lieutenant General Harold A. Cross, Retired Adjutant General of the Mississippi National Guard, will present the principal address at this year’s Memorial Day observance at Shiloh National Military Park.  The annual service, one of the oldest in West Tennessee, will begin in the Shiloh National Cemetery overlooking historic Pittsburg Landing at 11 a.m. Monday.