Carrier’s closing ranked No. 1 by Standard staff
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Standard newsroom employees have done just that and determined by vote the top 10 stories of 2005. It was a fierce battle for the top spot as reporters were divided on whether Carrier’s shutdown or Pamela Rogers’ sex scandal deserved the No. 1 spot.
Carrier’s closing clearly had the larger overall impact with around 1,300 people losing their livelihood. The shutdown has sent county officials in a mad scramble to produce local jobs and left many local residents wondering about the manufacturing future of the county.
The decision by Rogers to have sex with a 13-year-old student had virtually no impact on the day-to-day lives of most Warren County residents. However, news crews from throughout the country descended on Warren County to cover the story. The Standard’s Web site received thousands of hits a day, and District Attorney Dale Potter found himself doing interviews for national TV shows such as ‘Good Morning America.”
On the strength of five first-place votes, Carrier’s shutdown was named biggest story of the year, followed closely by Rogers. The return of the 278th from Iraq and the hideous murder of an elderly Centertown resident were also firmly at the top of the voting. After that, there was a significant dropoff for the bottom half of the top 10.
Carrier halts local production
The grim announcement came in February, 2004 that Carrier would halt production at its Warren County plant by the end of 2005. The actual day turned out to be Aug. 25, 2005 ‘” the day manufacturing stopped at our local facility.
The result has been an economic dropkick. The county lost its largest employer and 1,300 people lost their jobs. Carrier had been manufacturing air conditioners in Warren County for 37 years.
In addition to Carrier employees, the shutdown has also created a devastating ripple effect. Other local companies which relied on Carrier for orders have also been forced to close. Tennessee Screw Machine and Martin Crating are two examples.
‘Those 1,300 jobs being lost are going to turn into 2,000,” said state Sen. Jerry Cooper referring to the other businesses that will be affected.
The nearly 1-million-square-foot Carrier building remains empty, although co-owner Tom Robinson reports several prospects have expressed interest. He’s confident a new company will locate there in 2006.
Teacher has tryst with student
A former beauty queen turned PE teacher was sentenced to nine months in jail for having a sexual affair with a 13-year-old male student ‘” an affair which caught national attention.
The teacher, Pamela Rogers, 27, will be released this spring but will remain on probation for seven years after she entered a no-contest plea to charges of sexual battery by an authority figure and statutory rape.
Her plea came for her two-month sexual affair with a basketball player and student at Centertown School where she worked as a coach and teacher. The encounters happened at various locations, including their homes and at the school.
As part of her plea, Rogers surrendered her teaching license and must list herself on the sexual offender registry. She remains held at Warren County Jail where authorities say she is a model inmate.
278th soldiers return home
Warren County held its breath when soldiers with the 278th were given mobilization orders in May 2004. It was the first time the unit had been mobilized since the Korean War.
A month later, local National Guardsmen were on their way to Camp Shelby, Miss., for what would be nearly 18 months of active duty. People lined the streets and waved flags as a bus convoy left McMinnville on its way to Camp Shelby in June 2004. That strong community support never wavered as soldiers received an abundance of care packages from home during their Christmas in Iraq.
Troops were sent to a war zone and responded by establishing law and order in the face of hostile insurgents. Roadside bombs and enemy fire were an everyday threat. In addition to performing their Army duties, local soldiers helped to bring running water to remote villages and build schools.
In early October 2005, word spread that soldiers would soon be returning home. By Oct. 19, the first members of the 278th began their trip back to the United States. The last soldiers were processed at Camp Shelby and given permission to return home Nov. 16.
Jacobs kills elderly Centertown resident
A 20-year-old who some say may have suffered brain damage in an earlier car accident was arrested for raping and killing an 89-year-old neighbor.
The defendant, Joshua Jacobs, faces the death penalty if convicted of the murder of Ruby Thurman. He remains held in jail awaiting trial this summer.
Jacobs allegedly broke into the elderly woman’s house, located within eyesight of his own home, reportedly to steal the keys to her car. Once inside he was reportedly caught by the frail woman who supported herself on a walker. What transpired next was the subject of two versions of a story told by Jacobs, one of which he claimed to have a partner in crime. However, lawmen have found no evidence there was anyone else with Jacobs.
The victim was found in her filled bathtub. Meanwhile, blood was found all around the house where Jacobs had cut himself gaining entry. The blood has been tested and found to belong to Jacobs.
Pioneers win, and make playoffs
The high school football team generated so much community excitement with its remarkable turnaround, it’s not only the top sports story of the year, it also makes the list of top 10 news stories.
Prior to 2005, the previous three seasons were difficult times for Pioneer football fans ‘” to say the least. Warren County endured winless years in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
That’s why the playoff run of 2005 was so captivating. The Pioneeers weren’t expected to have a team among the best in the region. But that’s exactly what happened.
Led by the eye-catching play of its senior class, most notably quarterback Josh Paz, the Pioneers finished the regular season with a 5-5 record. That included a shellacking of Franklin County for a homecoming victory in front of a packed Nunley Stadium.
With a solid core of juniors and seniors returning in 2006, coach Chris Madewell is hopeful the breakthrough of 2005 turns into a winning football tradition. A football-hungry community shares the same hopes.
Woman kills husband on Baker Mountain Road
After being married for over 20 years, lawmen suspect a 48-year-old woman snapped and murdered her longtime husband, dismembering his body and burying him in a shallow grave within yards of their Baker Mountain Road home in Van Buren County.
Jeri Bryant will go to trial in March on charges she killed her ex-husband, Furlon Bryant, 58, by shooting him multiple times outside their home located just off Spencer Highway. The couple had been recently divorced but were still staying in the same house.
Mr. Bryant’s body was found on a hill just behind the couple’s home a week after he was reported missing and just three days after Mrs. Bryant took a near-fatal overdose of pills. It was during her recovery from the overdose Mrs. Bryant allegedly confessed to several health care providers and her own daughter.
Investigators believe Mrs. Bryant tried to chop up the victim’s body and then tried to burn it before dragging his remains up a hill and placing them under a debris pile.
Main Street project nears completion
The end is in sight for the city’s $5 million project to revitalize downtown McMinnville. It’s a project which started in August 2004 when portions of Main Street were closed without much warning and traffic headaches followed.
But the detours have disappeared and all of Main Street was opened to thru traffic just a few weeks ago. The result is a downtown area of which this community can be proud. There’s once again luster on Court Square.
The fountain which graced downtown a half century ago now rests on the spot formerly occupied by the gazebo. The Hebe statue has been restored and returned.
Classy street lights, built-in sidewalk planters and a new Chamber of Commerce building are just some of the improvements that have combined to make downtown visually stunning. City leaders invested in the upgrades with the idea they will bring businesses back to Main Street and improve the overall image of the community.
Rogers China trip yields local jobs
When County Executive Kenneth Rogers made a trip to China in December in an effort to bring jobs to Warren County and jump start the local economy. Preliminary reports are the trip was a success.
Rogers met representatives from OZT Holding and Oceanic Petroleum, affiliated American-owned companies which have strong marketing ties with China.
During subsequent conversations between Rogers and Oceanic Petroleum president David Davidson several things became obvious: Warren County needs jobs, and Oceanic Petroleum has some sophisticated recycling machinery that is currently not being utilized. It didn’t take long for the men to realize they could develop a partnership that could be economically beneficial for both.
The result of this collaboration will be a used tire recycling plant in Warren County which is scheduled to provide an initial 100 jobs this year.
Last-minute settlement at Bridgestone
A zero-hour settlement averted what would have been the first strike in the history of the Morrison Bridgestone plant.
The settlement came after several months of unproductive talks between labor and management and after other plants had ratified their contracts leaving the Warren County workforce on a figurative island.
The main stopping point was job security as local workers fear Bridgestone will take its jobs overseas soon. The settlement saw the installation of a 10 percent, lower-paid workforce. New negotiations will begin this year as the contract was just for one year.
Animal shelter closes permanently
The long-running battle between county government and the local Humane Society ended in 2005 with the permanent closure of the Humane Society animal shelter on Collie Lane.
A 2004 slugfest ended in what many considered a victory for the Humane Society when the Warren County Commission voted to provide the shelter an $80,000 budget for 2004-2005. But that triumph turned to tragedy when the organization announced it would once again be closing the shelter in July 2005 because it had no money to operate during the county’s continuing budget.
The continuing budget provides funds to operate basic government services after the end of the fiscal year in June, but does not provide funds to non-profits which have to wait until the budget passes the full county commission two months later to receive money.
Saying they were tired of being ‘held hostage” by Humane Society ultimatums, commissioners voted to discontinue funding the Humane Society shelter and instead moved to set up and fund a county-run shelter. A full-time animal control officer has been hired.
Top 10 Breakdown
Nine Southern Standard newsroom employees voted on the top 10 stories of 2005. Each person assigned 10 points to their No. 1 story, 9 points to their No. 2 story, and so on. A first-place vote on every ballot would have produced a best possible score of 90.
Story Pts
1. Carrier shuts down 83
2. Pamela Rogers 80
3. 278th returns 71
4. Centertown murder 61
5. Football team shines 37
6. Van Buren murder 28
7. Main Street opens 25
8. Rogers visits China 22
9. No Bridgestone strike 21
10. Animal shelter closes 15
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Others receiving more than 10 points: Centertown school moves forward (14), TBI investigates county trustee (13), River Park sold (11)