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A violent storm that passed through Henry County at 2:30 a.m. Sunday destroyed two business and four homes north of Paris, but fortunately left no one seriously injured.

The storm, which carried winds estimated at 50 miles per hour, damaged several homes. Representatives from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) were in Paris Monday morning to inspect damage.

Property destroyed included the home of Eric and Kaye Gilbreth at 2855 Old Paris-Murray Road, as well as his business, Eric's Automotive Shop, which was located next door to the home. Rental storage units owned by Gilbreth near the business also received 50 percent damage.

According to The Paris Post-Intelligencer, Mr. and Mrs. Gilbreth were at home when the storm struck, along with their daughter Lauren and her friend Tyler Mack. Gilbreth said the four reportedly took refuge in their beds as the storm neared. The storm blew out the windows of the home as it passed by and sounded like a train, he said.

Another home and business seriously damaged was that of Frank and Ruby Barnhill at 3615 Shady Grove Road northeast of Paris. Barnhill's business, B & B Equipment, was destroyed and his adjacent home sustained 75 percent damage. A large 2 x 6 from a nearby building was found sticking into the home, according to the Post-Intelligencer.

The Barnhills were reportedly on vacation in East Tennessee when the tornadic winds ripped apart their home and part of the business. The winds also tipped one of his semi-truck trailers against another.

Three mobile homes were destroyed by the storm.

The homes were located at 530 Nelson School Road, 150 McGehee Lane and 105 Vaughn Road, all north or northeast of Paris.

High winds removed the roof from a doublewide mobile home, owned by Micky and Tricia Eaton at 150 McGehee Lane northeast of Paris.

Winds pushed a pickup truck into a car parked at a home next door.

An additional 20 homes reportedly received minor damage, including missing shingles and siding torn away.

The storm also caused many electric power outages in the west and north parts of the county, with some customers experiencing blackouts for 14 hours.

Richard Edwards, superintendent of Henry County Board of Public Utilities, told the Banner approximately 4,000 customers initially lost power at 2:15 Sunday morning. Those homes had power restored within two hours, he said.

Those experiencing outages for 14 hours were in areas including Old Paris-Murray Road north of Paris, Elkhorn-Nobles Road northeast of Paris, Lakehill Beach Estates Road northeast of Paris and areas toward Kentucky Lake.

High winds and trees tore down a total of 14 electric poles in the county, eight of which were in the Old Paris-Murray Road area.

Henry County electric department employees worked about 16 hours to restore power. One electric department crew from Benton County assisted, said Edwards.

Members of the McKenzie Planning Commission examine the city's major road plan. Pictured are, left to right, Mayor Walter Winchester, community planner Shelton Merrill, and commissioners Dean Rob (leaning over map), Larry Webb, and Chairman Mark Warren.

The McKenzie Planning Commission Tuesday voted to adopt the program design offered by community planner Shelton Merrill as the official plan for 2005-06. Merrill came on board as advisor to the commission after previous planners were unable to meet the every-first-Tuesday meeting time, which also proved to be an issue for Merrill, a University of Southern Mississippi-educated planner with the state Local Planning Assistance Office in Jackson. Commissioners agreed to establish a new schedule of every fourth Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., effective January 24.

Planners will meet according to their former schedule on December 5 and will meet November 22 at 2:30 p.m. in a combined agenda/subdivision/signs and billboards ordinance workshop at which time Dean Robb, secretary of the commission, volunteered to have prepared a streamlined version of a signs and billboards ordinance that was recently returned to the commission pursuant to concerns some members of the city council had regarding temporary signs and the ability to enforce an ordinance in which each zone had differing regulations.

"We've probably got some things on the books today that (codes enforcement officer Ray Berryman) just can't get to to enforce..." said Robb. "The worst thing we can do is add something else we can't get to to enforce."

David Pechin, regional director of the Jackson planning office, who was also in attendance, noted some business owners don't realize drivers "can only read so many signs" as they travel down the road. "If they have six signs there's no way drivers can read them all," he said. "They're not really hurt that bad by being limited to one sign."

He said another option was to limit location and placement of signs and that limitations actually help business owners by saving money on sign maintenance and eliminating fears that neighboring businesses might place signs that would reduce notice of their own signs.

Commissioners voted to permit Merrill to amend the major road plan to show College Drive as a street and removed a previously notated, proposed street. Merrill had provided a copy of the previously elusive map.

Merrill also recommended review of the 14-year-old land use plan by first establishing goals and policies and then addressing any needed amendments to the plan with a vision toward "establishing trends to develop and encourage health care, livability and affordability within the city."

In other business the commission:

Re-approved two rezoning measures and deferred a third for further study. Merrill will prepare ordinances to present to the city council regarding the rezoning of a parcel of land on Highland Avenue encompassing Carroll Bank and Trust, the adjacent McKenzie Plaza area, and buildings behind the mall from P-B (planned business) to B-2 (highway business) and an incorrect zoning notation for an area along Highway 22 from N-2 to M-1 (light industrial.)

Heard Mayor Walter Winchester note some progress had been made by Elliott sign company in further development of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) map, a digital, layered mapping system;

Heard Pechin advise his office would provide the commission with a revised set of by-laws.

Chairman Mark Warren had begun the meeting with praise for the memory of Virginia Claire Edwards, who had died Sunday. She was secretary of the commission for many years.

"We feel the loss of Virginia Claire Edwards," said Warren. "She's been a member of this commission for many, many years and I know I'll miss her as a member of this commission but more than that I'll miss her as a friend. We extend our sympathy to the family. I just can't say how much we'll miss her. She gave a lot of her time and her self to the community, to Bethel and to her family."

Carroll County schools will honor area veterans with special programs on Friday, November 11 in observance of Veteran's Day, a day set aside by the United States to honor American servicemen, past and present. Originally known as Armistice Day, it was first designated by Woodrow Wilson to commemorate the end of World War I.

MCENZIE HIGH SCHOOL: World War II Veteran Mike Freeland of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, former of McKenzie, will be the featured speaker for the annual Veterans Day program will be held at McKenzie High School on Friday at 10:00 a.m. The public is invited to attend.

Freeland formerly owned WHDM and WKTA radio stations in McKenzie and served as a combat medic with the U.S. Army, 82nd Airborne Division.

Veterans will be honored guests at the program and are asked to arrive by 9:30 a.m. to register. Veterans and their spouses will be guests at a luncheon at the school following the event.

McKenzie National Guard members will provide posting and removal of colors and McKenzie VFW will be in charge of a memorial service. Principal Terry Howell will introduce veterans attending the event.

Several McKenzie High students will take part in the program. Kelsey Cooper will sing the National Anthem; Chris Johnson will lead the Pledge of Allegiance; Brice Priestley will make introductory remarks, present a war slide show, present a McKenzie, Milan guard unit slide show and presents flowers in honor and in memory; John Kermit Laughrey will introduce the guest speaker; Caleb Owen, NiCole West and Hunter Downing will speak

Also performing will be the McKenzie High School Band and MHS trumpeters.

MCKENZIE MIDDLE SCHOOL: The Student Council will be sponsoring a Veteran's Day program at approximately 8:00 a.m. in the middle school gymnasium. Members of the Student Council will speak about veterans and what they mean to our country. Students will also be presenting a short skit about veterans. Students from Mrs. Haney's music classes will also perform during the program.

All veterans and visitors are invited to be a part of this special day at McKenzie Middle School. Veterans should sign a list in the office upon arrival, indicating their name and branch of service. Special seating will be assigned veterans during the program.

MCKENZIE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: A Veteran's Day program will be held Friday at 1:00 p.m. at the elementary school gymnasium. All veterans and guests are invited to attend.

Veterans are invited to visit a hospitality room following the program.

HUNTINGDON HIGH SCHOOL - A Veterans' Day program will be held between the hours of 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. in the gymnasium. Veterans should arrive by 9:45 a.m.

Guest speaker will be Steven Peery of Huntingdon, former principal at Huntingdon High and veteran of the Gulf War as a member of the U.S. Air Force.

Student Council officers will take part in the program and the high school band and chorus will provide a program of music.

Veterans will be recognized and are invited to attend a reception in the school library following the program.

HUNTINGDON MIDDLE SCHOOL: Mr. Larry Green of Huntingdon will be the guest speaker at a Veteran's Day program that is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. in the middle school gymnasium. Green is a Vietnam Era veteran and an employee of the U.S. Post Office in Huntingdon.

Area veterans are invited to be special guests during the program. The public is also invited to attend.

WEST CARROLL JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL: A special service will be held at 2:00 p.m. in the high school gymnasium. Guest speaker will be Vietnam Veteran Phil Williams, who served with the U.S. Air Force, 11th Combat Support Group from 1965-69.

Veterans in attendance will be recognized and will be honored guests at a reception in the cafeteria where refreshments will be enjoyed from 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.

Students will be part of the program, presenting speeches and vocal performances.

WEST CARROLL ELEMENTARY: A Veteran's Day program will be held at 1:00 p.m. at the elementary school cafeteria in Trezevant.

Guest Speaker Rick Revel of Henry will portray George Washington during a special program. Veterans will also be recognized.

The Junior Beta Club will also present a program.

HOLLOW ROCK-BRUCETON HIGH SCHOOL: Sgt. Daniel Trebilcock, Area Recruiter for the Tennessee National Guard, will be the guest speaker during a program from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. at the high school gymnasium.

Veterans in attendance will be recognized and invited to walk through a "Parade of Flags" on their way to a luncheon following in the high school cafeteria.

Vocalists for the program will include Brandi Segraves singing "God Bless the USA," Anna Beth Fredrick singing "Another Soldier Is Coming Home," and Sarah Mayfield singing "Hero."

The high school band will also give a performance.

CLARKSBURG HIGH SCHOOL - A Veteran's Day program will begin at 9:30 a.m. Friday in the high school gymnasium.

Veterans will be honored guests and are invited to stay and enjoy refreshments following the program.