Brownsville Radio News Archives

Cash Express suspect arrested — BPD official news release
January 31, 2011

On Monday, 31 January 2011, officers of the Criminal Investigations Division of the Brownsville Police Department arrested Lymus Brown of Jackson, TN in connection with the armed robbery of Cash Express, located at 27 E. Main in Brownsville, TN. Brown was identified through the investigation of the Brownsville Police Department. He was taken into custody at the Probation and Parole Office in Jackson, TN when he reported to his parole officer.

REPORT ON THE JANUARY MEETING OF THE
BROWNSVILLE MUNICIPAL - REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION

Housekeeping measures occupied much of the first meeting of the new year for the Brownsville Municipal - Regional Planning Commission. Greg Vanstory was elected Secretary to replace Sharon Hays, who rotated from the Commission to take a position on the staff of the City of Brownsville. To reflect the expanded regional outlook of the Commission, the bylaws were amended to require 10 instead of the previous 8 members on the board. Eight members must continue to be city residents while the two new positions are to be occupied by residents of the City of Brownsville's Planning Region.
The Commission unanimously voted to recommend approval by the City Board of Alderman of an expanded Urban Growth Boundary proposed by Mr. Tom Skehan, Community Principal Planner for the West Tennessee Region of the State Dept. of Economic and Community Development. Approval of inclusion of the land encompassed by the boundary will facilitate regulation of zoning and subdivision regulations to monitor growth currently just outside the city limits. While there are no current plans to annex these areas to the City of Brownsville, adoption of the new Urban Growth Boundary would streamline annexation should the City decide to do so in the future. Without the Urban Growth Boundary, any proposed annexation would have to occur via referendum, whereas with the adopted Boundary annexation could occur on vote by the Mayor and City Board of Aldermen.

There will be a meeting at City Hall on Saturday, February 5, commencing at 10:00 A.M. to discuss Brownsville's Comprehensive Plan. Students and faculty from the University of Memphis who have worked on the plan will be in attendance , as well as participating planning board commissioners. The meeting is open to the public. Students working on the project will consider industrial development, downtown development, historic preservation, as well as other matters.

During Thursday's meeting , the Commission recommended the rezoning from residential to commercial of one piece of property. Mr. James Clark has purchased the property at 1451 East Main across from Golden Circle Tire to establish a new location for a Farmers Insurance Agency.
Finally, the Commission voted to condemn property located at 940 Scott Street and remove the existing decayed residence there.
 

January 2011 Missing Children Bulletin

Haywood hosts academic decathlon
January 24, 2011

Haywood High School was again this year the host school for the West Tennessee Regional Academic Decathlon competition held here Saturday.
The HHS Academic Decathlon team competed with teams from Obion County Central High School, Chester County High School, Madison Academic Magnet High School, and Liberty Technology Magnet High School.

HHS placed 3rd overall, received 14 individual medals, won 3rd place in the Super Quiz, and had two team members who scored in the top 5 in their division. For the 26th year in a row the Haywood High decathletes advanced to statewide competition.

The state academic decathlon will be held at Austin Peay University February 18-19. Coaches for the Haywood High School team are John Thomas and Glynn Bridgewater.


Teachers of the year announced
January 24, 2011

Selected by their peers, the names of leading teachers in the Haywood County School system have just been announced.

The following teachers earn Teacher of the Year status:

Anderson Early Childhood Center — Suzie May
Haywood Elementary School — Susan Evans
East Side Elementary School — Leslie Essary
Sunny Hill School — Mandy Bell
Haywood Junior High School — Holly Pipkin
Haywood High School — Delois Dailey
 

BPD officer hospitalized

On 23 January 11 at approximately 12:30 a.m. officers from the Brownsville Police Department responded to a disturbance call at the Skylit Motel on S. Grand Avenue in Brownsville. Upon arrival, officers made contact with Undra Hal Douglas as he exited one of the rooms. Douglas refused to comply with commands from officers, and jumped into the car he drove to the motel. Douglas threw the car in reverse, backing over patrol officer Matthew Carson as he fled from police. Carson fired five rounds at Douglas’s vehicle as he sped away from the scene. Douglas drove through the gazebo on the lot of the motel and crashed into the bank on the east side of S. Grand Avenue. Douglas fled the scene on foot, and officers pursued. He is still at large at this time.
Officer Carson was transported to Jackson-Madison County General Hospital, where he underwent surgery on Sunday afternoon on his broken foot. Douglas is still at large and is wanted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations and the Brownsville Police Department for the Attempted Murder of a Police Officer, and other charges related to this incident. Anyone with information on the location of Undra Hal Douglas, please call the Brownsville Police Department at 731-772-1260, or Crimestoppers at 731-772-CASH (731-772-2274).

Undra Hal Douglas is a medium complexioned black male, 5 feet 10 inches tall, and approximately 175 pounds. His date of birth is 08-19-73.
 

Brownsville Police Department News Release

Brownsville Police recovered this picture from a cell phone they believe the armed robber dropped when he ran from Cash Master immediately after Tuesday's robbery. Police believe the photo is the man that committed the robbery. If you know who he is, please call 772-1215 or 772-CASH.

On Tuesday, 18 January 2011, an unidentified black male entered Cash Express, located at 27 E. Main, approached the counter, and discussed cashing a check with the employee there. The suspect then produced a black, semi-automatic handgun and laid it on the counter. He then told the employee to give him the money, and the employee complied. The suspect ran out the door and back west on Main St. toward the old Regions Bank building. The suspect dropped his cell phone on the way out of the store, and it was recovered by officers from the Brownsville Police Department.

The suspect is described as being approximately 5’ 11” tall, average build, late 20’s to early 30’s, with a low haircut and thin beard and mustache. He was wearing a black jacket with letters on it and something in letters on the left sleeve. A photo of the suspect was taken off the cell phone he dropped as he fled the store.

Anyone with any information concerning this robbery, please contact the Criminal Investigations Division of the Brownsville Police Department at 731-772-1395.
 

Haywood County to apply for flood relief grant
January 19, 2011

With passage of three resolutions, the Haywood County Commission authorized Mayor Franklin Smith to apply for $1 million in Community Development Block Grant funds in response to damage caused by tornadoes here in 2008 and floods last year.

The mayor hopes to work with The West Tennessee River Basin Authority, engineers Askew, Hargraves, and Harcourt, and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to develop a comprehensive plan so that damage from future flooding can be minimized.

Brownsville and Haywood County suffered significant damage due to the flooding that occurred May 1 of last year in addition to that caused by the 2008 winds. If awarded, some of the monies may also be used to purchase updated weather warning and monitoring equipment. The $1 million county grant application mirrors the same grant the City of Brownsville agreed to pursue last week.

Conmed Healthcare to administer healthcare at Haywood County Jail
January 19, 2011

Haywood County Commissioners were full of questions regarding a proposed 16-month contract with Conmed Healthcare Management to provide medical care and the dispensation of prescription drugs to inmates at the Haywood County jail. The contract requires taxpayers ante up more than $30,000 monthly to fund the $360,360 annual contract.

Conmed’s charges don’t include providing the medicines. Presently, county government buys medicines from Super D at a cost averaging around $3,000 every month.

Smith and Bond endorse

Mayor Franklin Smith urged approval of the contract so that new procedures for the administration of inmate healthcare will be in place at the commencement of operations at the new criminal justice complex. The center is expected to open March 1.

Sheriff Melvin Bond expressed concern over the rise in medical care needed at the jail and the problems, including liability, for the administration of prescription drugs at the jail. For example, the sheriff says, there is a practice known as "cheeking" whereby inmates will place administered drugs in their mouths but not swallow them, and then remove and sell the drugs to other inmates.

Of 109 prisoners currently housed, approximately 90% are administered drugs.

Pros in jail many hours

Under the contract, a healthcare professional will be in the jail 16 hours everyday. The staff includes visits by a Nurse Practitioner 8 hours weekly, a registered nurse for 40 hours each week, and licensed practical nurses (LPN's) for 72 hours per week. These services contrast with the two hours of service currently provided by a nurse practitioner 3 days each week.

More money — or is it?

For the current fiscal year, the county has $225,000 budgeted for inmate healthcare. Last year, the county spent $307,000 in medical care for prisoners. That total does not include the cost of officers required to transport and monitor the inmates when healthcare is provided outside of the jail. At least one officer must monitor an inmate at the local hospital, and two officers are required if the medical care is provided at a hospital in Jackson. While the $307,000 claimed by the budget is $53,000 less than the contract sought by Conmed, the new arrangement is not expected to require as much use of sheriff department personnel. According to last night’s discussion, Conmed will also assume liability for medical care and drugs administered under the contract. Conmed will treat on site unless hospitalization is required.

After much discussion and endorsement by Budget Committee Chairman Allen King, commissioners voted 17 to 3 in favor of entering into the contract. Commissioners Teddy Waldrop, John Gorman, Jr., and Bob Hooper voted no.

King advocated a review after the first six months. The contract includes provisions for cancellation.

Bond says inmates just unhealthy

Sheriff Melvin Bond told Brownsville Radio’s Mark Dyer that increasing healthcare costs at the jail can be blamed, in part, on the poor quality of health in general of the criminal population there. Of the 109 presently in jail, there are cases of hepatitis and an alarming number of AIDS patients that require medical treatment. About 16 inmates have AIDS ( acquired immune deficiency syndrome). Three of those are in advanced stages of the disease. Sheriff Bond said medicines required to treat inmates suffering with AIDS cost taxpayers approximately $40,000 per year, and that number is expected to increase.

Conmed is a for profit publicly traded company.

Rouse and Neal appointed to Haywood County jobs
January 19, 2011

Commissioners unanimously voted to appoint William King to serve the remainder of the unexpired term of the Reverend Rick Rouse on the Planning Commission. Rev Rouse passed away in December.

Commissioners also appointed Clinton Neal as Interim County Farm Superintendent. He’ll be paid $800 monthly through June 3o. Neal already serves in the capacity of Director of Solid Waste Management for Haywood County. The appointment comes on the heals of the retirement of County Farm Superintendent Terry Parks.

Three Star status awarded to Haywood County
January 19, 2011

Chamber of Commerce Director Joe Ing presented Mayor Franklin Smith and the County Commission a certificate recognizing the county's achievement as a Three Star County in Tennessee for 2010. The Three Star program is administered by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and involves a number of initiatives, including strategic planning for infrastructure at potential industrial sites, sustaining businesses at I - 40 exits, taking action for at risk children, and enhancing healthcare accessibility.

Haywood County will again participate in the program in 2011. Mayor Smith noted that Haywood County is one of very few in Tennessee where both the county government and county seat have obtained Three Star Certification. He stated that the achievement of this status by both Haywood County and the City of Brownsville makes the area stand out in a positive way and provides an advantage of distinction when talking to potential industrial and business recruits.


Copper thieves hit Brownsville Utility
January 19, 2011

The Brownsville Utility Department has fallen victim to copper thieves.

Utility officials called the police department to say that about $15,000 worth of copper had been stolen from the utility’s warehouse on Dupree.

Gunman holds up downtown Brownsville business
January 18, 2011

Police have spent the day searching for an armed gunman after an armed robbery in downtown Brownsville.

A handgun toting man entered Cash Express a little before 10am and demanded money. Cash Express is located less than a block from the courthouse on East Main Street.

Investigators are looking for a black man thought to be in his late 20’s or early 30’s. Described as having a medium build, he was wearing a black jacket with grey stripes and blue on the sleeves.

Police have not said what he took. No one was hurt.

Hardy Home destroyed by fire
January 13, 2011

A Haywood County family lost their home to fire Wednesday night. Firemen were called to Mills Road about 10pm. The mobile home owned by James Hardy was fully involved by the time firemen made th scene. It was destroyed.
Firefighters say nobody was hurt.

Brownsville home burglary solved
January 13, 2011

Police have made an arrest in a home burglary. Taquita Sloan’s house located on Bradford Street was burglarized Monday.
Investigators say they found witnesses that could identify a man they saw running down the street carrying a television. The tip led to the arrest of Kinnon Bond, 18.


Additional charges filed in scrap thefts
January 12, 2011

Two people arrested in December for stealing scrapped cars from a rural junkyard now face additional charges.

Junkyard owner Curtis Puckett claims he caught Jeff and Tiffany Watson stealing cars from his junkyard December 11. Deputies answering the call found Puckett holding the Watsons at gunpoint. They say junk cars were being loaded on to a trailer that belonged to the Watsons.

The Watsons attended a court hearing on the Puckett thefts Tuesday, and that’s when deputies served warrants in connection with other thefts. Sheriff Melvin Bond said his investigation suggests the Watsons also stole two junk cars located on property owned by Helen Morris on Cane Creek Road. Investigators also accused the Watsons of an auto theft from Estanalua Hunting club.


Bombs and meth lab found in Keeling shed
January 8, 2011

Sheriff’s deputies got a tip late Friday afternoon that explosives could be found in a shed near Keeling. Ten World War I era mortar rounds were found in a shed near Sharp’s Grocery, according to Sheriff Melvin Bond.

Bond summoned the Shelby County bomb squad. The trained officers from the Shelby sheriff’s office retrieved the bombs — taking them back to Memphis for disposal.

While deputies were snooping around the shed they found a bag containing materials needed in the manufacture of methamphetamine. Bond said deputies have accused Dewey Ray Noe Jr., 19, of ownership of the meth making materials. He’s facing felony drug charges.

Sheriff Bond said a Mississippi company specializing in the removal of meth labs was hired to dispose of the volatile drug making apparatus.

Officers make I-40 dope arrest
January 13, 2011

Sheriff Melvin Bond said drug task force officers stopped a car on the interstate in Haywood County and discovered 4.5 pounds of marijuana and other drug paraphernalia in the vehicle. A woman and two men were arrested. The three are from Texas. The sheriff said they were travelling from Texas to Knoxville.

Jackson stolen vehicle found in Brownsville
January 13, 2011

During a routine call to Tisdale Street Monday police checked the license plate of a truck parked in a driveway. The 2001 model Dodge Durango had been reported stolen in Jackson. Police charged Earnest Lee Hitt with possession of stolen property.
 

Brownsville to apply for disaster recovery funds
January 11, 2011

The January meeting of the City of Brownsville Mayor and Board of Aldermen focused on disaster relief and prevention in the wake of the May 1, 2010 flood. The city will apply for $1 million Community Development Block Grant. The engineering firm of Askew, Hargraves & Harcourt will assist in the application for the grant and implementation if awarded.

Tuesday’s action is part of a comprehensive flood control plan for Brownsville, which will result in taking steps for prevention and minimizing of flood damage in the future.

“Ground zero" for the engineering firm's work, according to Mayor Jo Matherne, is defined as the Nixon and Sugar Creek areas.

Twenty-two affected counties may apply for an available $72 million, and the mayor believes Brownsville's chances of obtaining $1 million are good. The city will coordinate efforts with Haywood County, which is also applying for similar funding relating to flood control.

Brownsville to acquire flood damaged properties
January 11, 2011

City of Brownsville officials are in the process of evaluating properties damaged by the May 2010 flood that may be eligible for purchase under Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines. Eligible properties must be in the flood plain, be part of a City development plan, and be damaged by the 2010 flood by over 50 percent in value. Once the city determines eligible properties and purchases them, existing structures will be demolished and no further buildings can be erected there.

While the deadline for identifying properties is March 31, Alderman Leon King noted that this is a lengthy, detailed process that will take an extended period of time before purchases are actually made.


NAACP sponsors parade on Martin Luther King Day
January 11, 2011

The City Board approved a request by the local chapter of the NAACP to conduct a parade in Brownsville on Monday, January 17, 2011. The parade will begin at the Carver Dunbar Museum on East Jefferson and end there after a route through town.

NAACP officials are sponsoring the parade as part of the festivities celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center to hold banquet
January 11, 2011

Sonia Outlaw, Director of the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center, plans a banquet for 2010 volunteers for the Center on Friday, January 15. Volunteers donated 488 hours of time during the past year.

During 2010, over 20,000 visitors from all 50 states and 30 countries visited the Center, which is located just off Exit 56 at Interstate 40.

Collection of Brownsville taxes ahead of schedule
January 11, 2011

City Clerk Jessica Frye reports that over $2 million in tax revenue was received by the end of December, which is the half way point in Brownsville’s fiscal year. This money represents over half of the budgeted tax income for 2010 - 2011, making collections ahead of schedule at this time.


Additional charges filed in scrap thefts
January 12, 2011

Two people arrested in December for stealing scrapped cars from a rural junkyard now face additional charges.

Junkyard owner Curtis Puckett claims he caught Jeff and Tiffany Watson stealing cars from his junkyard December 11. Deputies answering the call found Puckett holding the Watsons at gunpoint. They say junk cars were being loaded on to a trailer that belonged to the Watsons.

The Watsons attended a court hearing on the Puckett thefts Tuesday, and that’s when deputies served warrants in connection with other thefts. Sheriff Melvin Bond said his investigation suggests the Watsons stole two junk cars located on property owned by Helen Morris on Cane Creek Road. Investigators are also accusing the Watsons of an auto theft from Estanalua Hunting club.

Sheriff Bond said Tiffany Watson has posted bond and has been released from jail, but Jeff Watson is being held on violation of probation from an earlier conviction.
 

Statewide Jewish History and Culture is Focus of Exhibit Opening January 27 at Delta Heritage Center

Brownsville, Tenn. — January 10, 2011 – The story of Jewish immigration to Tennessee and how they embraced the culture they found here is documented in a traveling exhibit opening January 27, at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville, Tenn.

Bagels & Barbeque: The Jewish Experience in Tennessee begins with the saga of early Jewish settlers emigrating from Europe, where most faced religious persecution. A few came to upper East Tennessee in the 1770s, and to Middle Tennessee by the 1820s. By 1870, groups in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga had purchased land for cemeteries—a first concern of new Jewish communities—and founded congregations for worship.

Chronicling the life of Jewish families during the Civil War and Reconstruction, the exhibit focuses on the historic contributions during this period. Stories of interest include the beginnings of one of America’s most respected newspaper empires, which began when 20 year-old Adolph Ochs, son of Julius and Bertha from Knoxville, bought The Chattanooga Times in 1878. In 1896, he added The New York Times to what is still today a family-controlled enterprise.

Stories of the huge wave of immigrants, who arrived between 1880 and 1924, who were fleeing anti-Semitic laws and mob violence, are followed by those of Tennessee Jews during World War II. More than 1,000 Tennessee Jews served their country in the armed forces.

As the young left to seek their fortunes after the war, Tennessee’s Jewish population declined to less than 17,000 in 1960. The Civil Rights era raised ongoing challenges for Tennessee Jews. The Nashville Jewish Community Center was dynamited in 1958, while a Chattanooga synagogue was destroyed in 1977.

Bagels & Barbeque also documents the recent influence of the Jewish community in Tennessee. Tennessee has seen an influx from around the nation of Jewish health and music industry professionals, university professors, executives, artists, and their extended families.

Scholars from across the state of Tennessee provided the research for the exhibit, along with noted authorities on Jewish history from other locations. The exhibition has been organized, designed and produced by the staff of the Tennessee State Museum. It was first shown at the Tennessee State Museum in December 2007. It is now traveling to other museums across the state.

In 1867, Temple Adas Israel, the Reformed Jewish temple in Brownsville began in the home of Jacob and Karoline Felsenthal. In 1882, when the congregation grew too large to meet in a home, a wooden temple was built. Today it is recognized as the oldest Temple of continuous service in the state. This rich local Jewish history will be highlighted as a special companion to the state exhibit.

The West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center, a Visitor Information Center and Museum, is located off of Interstate 40, Exit 56, behind McDonald’s, at 121 Sunny Hill Cove in Brownsville, Tenn. The museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 1 to 5 p.m., on Sunday; and is free to the public. To learn more about the museum, visit www.westtnheritage.com

Bagels & Barbeque: The Jewish Experience in Tennessee is a joint project of the Tennessee State Museum in collaboration with the Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, Jewish Community Federation of Greater Chattanooga, Knoxville Jewish Alliance, and Memphis Jewish Federation, with the participation of other Jewish communities around the state. The exhibit’s statewide tour is supported in part by a grant from Humanities Tennessee, an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Holocaust Survivors’ Crate — Tennessee State Museum collection, Gift of Rodney Rosenblum.

Holy Smokers team at Anshei Sphard-Beth El Emeth Synagogue’s annual Kosher BBQ Contest and Festival in Memphis
— Courtesy Anshei Sphard-Beth El Emeth, Memphis