News

Sinking Highway Causes Concern

An area of pavement along Highway 22 in Huntingdon near the north city limits is sinking, causing concern for the local Tennessee Highway Maintenance Department and motorists who travel the uneven roadway. One southbound lane was closed to traffic at noon Wednesday, January 5.

John Bonar, Highway Maintenance Superintendent I, said it is unknown why the roadway is sinking.

"There is no slide or anything, it just settled. We don't know if there is a spring or there is something that has rotted underneath the pavement surface, but it is getting worse," he said. "We can't find evidence of where the sub-surface is going. It became worse over the weekend."

Another possibility is that the damage could be caused by a sinkhole.

"I hope it's not that," said Bonar, who noted the department had experienced a sinkhole in another county the department maintains.

"We are waiting on a coring machine to drill down and determine the problem," Bonar said. The machine, which is being sent from the state highway maintenance headquarters in Nashville and is currently on a project in east Tennessee, will hopefully arrive later this week.

Once coring begins, a geologist will be able to look at the substance and determine the cause of the problem, Bonar added.

The inner southbound lane is not yet affected. However, Bonar noted that since all southbound traffic has been diverted to that lane, problems with that lane would begin at any time.

Repairs will begin once the cause is determined, Bonar said. Regardless, the pavement will have to be dug up and the space filled in, he said.

HUNTINGDON - Henry I. Siegel cutting room facility and land in Bruceton will be sold at auction Friday, January 21 at 10:01 a.m. as ordered by a default judgment of Carroll County Chancery Court. The sale is being held to satisfy judgments for delinquent property taxes for 1999, 2000, and 2001.

The judgment is the result of civil action cases, County of Carroll vs. Henry I. Siegel Company and its successors in interest, heard on March 16, 2004. The parcels of land are described as Map No. 66G - Group C, Parcel 3, S.I. 01 at the Register of Deeds office, Carroll County Office Complex, Huntingdon.

H.I.S., once Carroll County's largest employer, closed in early 2000. At the height of its operation, the plant employed approximately 2000 employees. In West Tennessee, the company had clothing manufacturing facilities in Bruceton, Camden, Gleason, Fulton, South Fulton, Tiptonville and Trezevant.

Three other buildings in Bruceton were auctioned in April 2004. One building on Highway 70, located beside The Butcher Block, was sold to Tim Gately of Huntingdon. Two other older buildings did not receive a bid.

Carroll County Chamber of Commerce President Brad Hurley noted that for 12 months after the sale, H.I.S. and its successors in interest have the right of redemption, meaning they can purchase the property back at the sale price, plus ten percent.

"Generally, if a building is sold, you do not see a lot of improvement for that period of time," he said.

"Generally, investors will purchase the property with intent to resell or lease the property," he added.

The McKenzie Banner's Web site has undergone a major renovation to better serve its readers. A new addition is the daily obituaries section at www.mckenziebanner.com. In the past, the online obituaries were updated weekly. Updates will occur each weekday.

"This is a way to better serve our readers," said Joel Washburn, managing editor of the newspaper. "Readers can now access the newest obituaries by clicking on the 'daily obituaries' button located on the left side of the screen."

The Banner maintains archived obituaries dating to the year 2001.

The entire site has been redesigned to include a new search engine that accesses archived stories using names, dates, events, or other keywords, which tremendously reduces search times. Past features can be accessed through the search engine and are also listed below the current feature. Archived features date back to mid-2001.

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