NASHVILLE (July 7) — Leadership Tennessee, a collective with a mission to foster non-partisan dialogue on issues of state importance, has named Carroll County Mayor Joseph Butler to its 2023–2024 Signature Program Class X (class number 10). more

Clayhill Motorsports Park has new owners, and they’re returning racing to the famed Atwood track. In a press release, a spokesperson says the new racetrack (formerly known as the Atwood Speedway, then Clayhill, LLC.) returns with a new name, new owners, and a new purpose. The race track opens to the public for the first time in over two years on July 27 with a Thursday night “Test & Tune,” the first of many races under the new owners. August 5 is the first official race date. more

Jason R. Martin, manager of Tri-County Publishing / The McKenzie Banner, is the new president of the Rotary Club of McKenzie. Martin was installed by District 6760 Governor Eddie Allred at a banquet on June 27 at Hometown Hangout. more

PARIS — Sally Lane’s Candy Farm may have new owners and a new location, but its legacy is stronger than ever. more

McKENZIE (July 6) — Ice bucket challenges were really popular a few years ago. The concept was to fill a five-gallon bucket with iced water and dump that water on someone’s head as a fundraiser. A recent fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital took the concept to the extreme: ice water from the bucket of a front-end loader. That followed a pie in the face by Johnathan St. Clair. Will Walker had the pleasure of operating the bucket as he eased the levers forward to dump the water on Trent Johnson and Trent’s granddaughter, Lila Colvin. more

ATWOOD (July 6) — The West Carroll Special School District heard a third-grade retention report showing no third graders will have to repeat the third grade during their meeting Thursday night, July 6. more

Carroll Arts’ annual creativity camp concluded Friday, June 30, with an end-of-the-week program where students showed parents and community members what they learned from the week’s drama, art, creative writing and music classes. more

McKENZIE — This June, the Carroll County Humane Society began renovations, the first major changes made since moving into the building on Hwy 22 nine years ago. The remodel originally targeted replacing the floors, but it has since expanded to upgrading the dog kennels and repainting and adding new shelving in the cat rooms. more

McKENZIE (JULY 4) — Meet Toby, McKenzie Police Department’s new canine officer. more

HUNTINGDON (June 28) —Team members from Baptist Memorial Hospital-Carroll County recently visited the Carroll County Public Library to participate in readings during Toddler Time Playgroup, also known as Tot Time. more

Paige Costello, a rising tenth grade homeschooler and member of Carroll County 4-H, is the national winner of the 4-H Beekeeping Essay contest. The contest is sponsored by the Foundation for the Preservation of Honeybees, Inc. more

Kameshia Moxley was new to the pageant scene when she was crowned Miss Bethel University Volunteer in November 2022. When she moved to Tennessee to attend college, walking on the Miss Tennessee Volunteer stage one day did not even cross her mind. more

Addi Poole watched the Miss Tennessee pageants every year. She looked forward to the days when Miss Tennessee visited her school. Miss Tennessee was someone she could look up to and someone who made her feel seen. When Poole attended the Miss Tennessee pageant 2015 to support Paris native Hannah Robison, her entire perspective of the contest changed. Seeing someone from just across the road win the pageant proved she also had a chance to win one day and represent her community and state. more

Emma Martin is no stranger to the Miss Tennessee Volunteer stage, but the beauty queen said this year’s pageant might be her last. more

When Dr. Justin Barden accepted his new position as the McKenzie Special School District’s Director of Schools, he knew he wanted to spend his first year observing rather than changing. He would be intentional and methodical with his choices, and he could only do that by listening and learning what the district already does so well. more

McKENZIE — After 10 years as President of Bethel University, Dr. Walter Butler announced his plans to retire on December 31, 2023 shortly after turning 70. more

MARTIN — Effective leaders look beyond their immediate surroundings to identify growth opportunities and ways to improve life for others. McKenzie resident Christy Williams, branch manager and vice president of Regions Bank, valued the class sessions, and the people she met established connections that will help turn ideas into action. more

Marty Poole returns with “R.A.D.A.R.: The Adventures of the Bionic Dog,” the latest movie produced by the Gleason-raised filmmaker and writer. The movie is available for digital purchase and on-demand streaming beginning Tuesday, June 27. more

HUNTINGDON (June 23) — Construction on a $4 million expansion and renovation project is underway at Huntngdon Primary School. more

McKENZIE (June 20) —Matthew Holt was the featured speaker at the meeting of the Rotary Club of McKenzie’s weekly meeting on June 20. more