Haywood Residents in WestStar 2011 Class

Lisa Carlton, Nancy Cates and Sonia Outlaw-Clark, all of Haywood County, are among 30 members of the 2011 WestStar class.


Lisa Carlton

Carlton is city president for First State Bank in Brownsville, where she has worked since 2008. She has previously worked at Regions Bank as a mortgage supervisor in West Tennessee and Wells Fargo Financial in Southaven, Miss. Carlton is the current president of the Brownsville Boys and Girls Club, vice president and fundraiser chairman for the Brownsville Carl Perkins Center, board member for Brownsville Rotary Club and YMCA and advisory board member for Haywood County School Superintendent Advisory Council. She was named “Rotarian of the Year” in 2009-10.

She believes that by participating in WestStar, she will gain from meeting people in surrounding counties that can help her with ideas and connections to grow her community.

Nancy Cates

Cates is the director of the Brownsville/Haywood County Parks and Recreation Department, where she has served for the past eight years. She is involved in many community activities such as Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association secretary/treasurer since 2008, Senior Citizen’s Board chairman, the Exchange Club treasurer and a member of Carl Perkins Center Board and the Park of Dreams Committee. She is a graduate of Leadership Haywood County. She has received numerous awards such as the 4-Star New Facility Award presented by Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association, the Good Neighbor Award from the Woodman of the World and the Woman of the Year Award in 2010.



She looks forward to meeting other leaders by participating in WestStar and hopes to gain new knowledge from WestStar’s group of leaders.

Sonia Outlaw-Clark

Outlaw-Clark is executive director of the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville. She currently serves on the board of directors of the Tennessee Association of Museums, Hope for Haywood Disaster Recovery Services, the Hatchie Fall Fest and the Tennessee Downtown–Brownsville Steering Committee. She is a graduate of Leadership Haywood County. She has received the Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year Award, 1993 and 2007, and is a recipient of the 2008 Woodmen of the World Outstanding Citizen Award.

Outlaw-Clark hopes to gain a better understanding of the region; network and build partnerships that will benefit all West Tennessee; and learn new ideas and strategies for improving quality of life in her community.



Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk

The Brownsville Police Department has announced that they are joining forces with the National Football League (NFL), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and other State and local highway safety and law enforcement officials to remind everyone to act responsibly by designating a sober driver if they plan on drinking alcohol on Super Bowl Sunday.

“We want to pass our safety message to everyone who will be drinking this weekend, real Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk,” said Chief Lea. “Please call the right play for the big game and pass your keys to a designated driver before the Super Bowl party begins. Getting caught driving while impaired will earn you a costly penalty from local law enforcement and may even result in a turnover of your driving privileges.”

Super Bowl Sunday is one of America’s biggest and most entertaining national sporting events as friends and families gather to socialize and watch the big game. Yet, it has also become one of the Nation’s most dangerous days on the roadways due to impaired driving.

If you are hosting a Super Bowl party:
• Remember, you can be held liable and prosecuted if someone you served ends up in an impaired-driving crash.
• Make sure all of your guests designate their sober drivers in advance, or help arrange ride-sharing with other sober drivers.
• Serve lots of food and include lots of non-alcoholic beverages at the party.
• Stop serving alcohol at the end of the third quarter of the game and begin serving coffee and dessert.
• Keep the numbers for local cab companies handy, and take the keys away from anyone who is thinking of driving while impaired.

If you are attending a Super Bowl party or watching at a sports bar or restaurant:
• Designate your sober driver before the party begins and give that person your car keys.
• Avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast. Pace yourself—eat enough food, take breaks, and alternate with non-alcoholic drinks.
• If you don’t have a designated driver, ask a sober friend for a ride home; call a cab, friend, or family member to come and get you; or just stay where you are and sleep it off until you are sober.
• Never let a friend leave your sight if you think they are about to drive while impaired. Remember, Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.
• Always buckle up – it’s still your best defense against other impaired drivers.

For more information, please visit http://www.stopimpaireddriving.com.

West Tennessee Solar Farm Receives Environmental Approval

U.S. Dept. of Energy Issues Finding of No Significant Impact, Project Moves Forward
Governor Bill Haslam and Commissioner Bill Hagerty of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development announced Wednesday, February 2, 2011, that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has completed its environmental review for the West Tennessee Solar Farm in Haywood County and issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), which means the project complies with all applicable federal regulation for environmental protection. The review was conducted under guidelines specified in the National Environmental Policy Act and was part of the requirement for utilizing American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for the project. The finding allows site preparation and installation to begin on the five-megawatt solar array.

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Brownsville Baptist plans Life Action Revival Summit

Life Action, a ministry dedicated to living and teaching practical, daily applications from God's Word, is coming to Brownsville, March 6 - 16, to hold an 11 day revival summit.

Through a series of evening services and seminars at Brownsville Baptist Church, the Life Action team will present thought-provoking messages and worshipful music focusing on God's life-giving truths.

The summit will begin Sunday, March 6, at 9:15 a.m., and continue Monday-through the following week, ending on Wednesday, March 16 - services beginning at 6 p.m. During this time, there will be instructional teaching, family seminars, music, and programs for children and teenagers. The focus will be on America's greatest need today - practically living out the biblical values and principles upon which our country was founded.

Coming from across the country, this group of young adults and a few families, is one of three Life Action road teams that travel September-June sharing God's revival truths with churches. Founded in 1971 by evangelist Del Fehsenfeld Jr., Life Action now has over 200 staff members who long to see Christians radically living out their faith, and thereby, resulting in a spiritual awakening among the lost.

For more information please contact Jan or Cheryl in the church office at 731-772-9753. Brownsville Baptist Church is located at the corner of West Main Street and North Wilson in Brownsville, Tennessee. http://www.brownsvillebaptist.org/

Haywood County Attractions Join Haslam Inaugural Celebration

In honor of Bill Haslam’s inauguration as the state’s 49th governor, Haywood County museums are joining with cultural and historical attractions across the state to stay open and offer free admission on Saturday, January 15, 2011.

The theme of the inaugural celebration is “Tennesseans: Working Together, Moving Forward.” In the spirit of this theme, the governor-elect has asked that cultural establishments, tourist attractions, museums and other points of interest open their doors on Inauguration Day at no charge to the public.

“We’d like to offer this day as a time for Tennesseans across the state to come together in the celebration – wherever they are in the state - and take part in our culture, inventions, history and heritage, as a collective people,” says Kim Kaegi, director of the Haslam inaugural team.

Haywood Countians are encouraged to be a part of this historical event by visiting their local museums. Museums in Brownsville and Stanton will participate and include the Haywood County Museum, Haywood County Sports Museum, Felsenthal Lincoln Collection, Dunbar-Carver Museum, West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center and the Stanton Welcome Center and Lending Library.



College Hill Center
Home to the Haywood County Museum, Haywood County Sports Museum and The Felsenthal Lincoln Collection



The Haywood County Museum, located at the College Hill Center, 127 North Grand, will be open from 1-3 p.m. The Haywood County Sports Museum and the Felsenthal Lincoln Collection, housed at the Center, will also be available for viewing during this time. College Hill was originally established as the Brownsville Baptist Women's College in 1851 and later became the Haywood County High School.

Dunbar Carver Museum is located on the site of the former Carver High School. The Brownsville Unit of the Boys and Girls Club is also located here.

Dunbar-Carver Museum will extend their hours and will open at 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. They are located at 709 East Jefferson Street. The Dunbar-Carver Museum tells the story of African American life in Haywood County through events associated with the one hundred plus year existence of the Dunbar-Haywood County Training-Carver High School.

Blues Pioneer Sleepy John Estes' last home is located on the grounds
of the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center.

The West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center, located at 121 Sunny Hill Cove behind McDonald’s, will be open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. The Delta Heritage Center is home to three museums that explore the early history of cotton production in West Tennessee, music greats who were born and called West Tennessee home and the scenic Hatchie River, the last wild river of the lower Mississippi.

A Historical Marker was placed at the Stanton Welcome Center September 28, 2008, courtesy of the 2008 Leadership Haywood County class.

The Stanton Welcome Center and Lending Library will also open. The Center is located at 49 Main Street in Stanton, and serves as an archive for history and memorabilia for the Town of Stanton, family histories of Stantonians, and digitizes historical photos and stories.

2011 Move It, Lose It Challenge begins January 15

This popular YMCA-sponsored challenge has become a new year tradition.

Happy Birthday, Shiloh ... and you're invited!

You're invited to the 116th anniversary of the establishment of the Shiloh National Military Park. The event will take place Tuesday, December 28, beginning at 2 p.m., at the Shiloh Visitors Center. The event is hosted by the Hardin County Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Park was established by Congress December 27, 1894 and commemorated the April 6-7, 1862 battle that raged around Shiloh Church and Pittsburg Landing. That event produced more than 23,000 casualties and was the largest engagement in the Mississippi Valley campaign during the Civil War.

Learn more about the Park: http://www.nps.gov/shil