2020 YEAR IN REVIEW PART 1: January-June

JANUARY 2020
*The Renegade Dance packed the Millington Performing Arts Center Saturday night.
With parking spilling over to the Millington Central High School  and Millington Municipal Schools lots, the audience enjoyed several dance numbers choreographed by Mandy Hedstrom, Emily Langford and Lexi Hood. Renegade Dance presented the Fourth Annual National Competitive Ensemble Preview Show. Renegade Dance is located at 7911 Leroy Boatwright Street in Millington. For more information, call 208-7775.
*Larry Joe Silvey, 79, entered into eternal life on January 22, 2020 in Millington. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend who made it his life’s mission to introduce people to Christ through unending service and selfless generosity.
*The 2020 St. Mark Baptist Church Dr. MLK Jr. Community Celebrations had the theme of Living the Dream. Dr. Kevin B. Taylor was the guest speaker of the event held Jan. 20 at the Drummonds church located at 3220 Wilkinsville Road. Taylor and members of his congregation were visiting from Springdale Baptist Church. St. Mark Pastor E. Allen Redwell Jr. served as official host for the festivities honor the memory of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Dr. King holiday is observed in the United States the third Monday of January each year.
FEBRUARY 2020
*The Millington Central High School Trojan Robotic team of Amy Kincaid, Luis Carrillo and Dalton Fitzgerald left Murfreesboro with an awarding piece of hardware.
On Feb. 8, the trio knew their robot Gearmo (Guillermo) created since August was impressive on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University during the First Team Challenge Regional Tournament. But the crew from Shelby County departed for home before picking up its first-place trophy for Innovation.
Randall C. Phillips, First senior mentor for West Tennessee, made the trip to the campus of MCHS last Wednesday to present “Terrors of Mars” members with their trophy in front of administration and members of Millington Municipal Schools including Superintendent Bo Griffin.
“It feels worthwhile because we put in a lot of time with this robot and the first robot,” Carrillo said. “It’s paid off.”
Phillips said he was proud of the Memphis area’s performance in the large competition in Murfreesboro especially the group from Millington.
*NORTH CHARLOTTE — The Millington Trojan Wrestling team left Creek Wook High School in Dickson County Saturday with the runner-up team trophy after the Class A-AA Region-4 Individual Tournament.
Now nine Trojans are heading to the 2020 TSSAA Wrestling State Tournament at the Williamson County Agricultural Exposition Arena Thursday-Saturday. Among the Millington grapplers heading to State, Jaden Tincher is the champion in his weight class.
“Region 4 champion,” Jeremy Tincher, father and coach said. “Jaden has worked incredibly hard for six years. Thanks to the coaches that helped to get him here. He told me today that it didn’t feel like Regions. I told him because he has been here a few times on the big stage. Now let’s go win the (State) championship.”
Other Trojans joining Tincher earning a spot at State are TJ Graves (second-place); Drew Hassenberg, Jahmir O’Kain and Milton Yarbrough (third-place); Malik Wooten, Lonzell Blackwell, Garrett Haley and Verdo Young (fourth-place).
It has been about a quarter of a century since the Trojans have placed as a team in duals and individual Regionals. Millington was Region 4 Team Duals and Individuals runner-ups, finishing behind Fairview.
*One side of the Tipton-Rosemark Academy Gymnasium was decked out in white in support of the home team.
The visiting Christ Presbyterian Academy Lady Lions came into the Division II-A State Tournament First Round game with a mission to ruin the historic moment for the TRA Lady Rebels. Tuesday night’s game was the first time the Lady Rebels have hosted this round.
Once TRA got the jitters out of the way, the non-stop defensive pressure employed by Head Coach Cedric Anderson dominated the night and gave the Lady Rebels a 67-30 victory over the team from the Nashville area.
TRA secure the home contest Friday night beating Harding Academy in the West Regional Semifinals. The Lady Rebels’ reward paid off with the home crowd and student section rooting on the girls as they kept the pressure and traps flowing against the Lady Lions.
“It was big No. 1 get over the hurdle of beating a good team like Harding Academy,” Anderson said. “And then to set ourselves up for a home game and get back here for the First Round. Gave us a chance to settle down and get our nerves settled a little bit.
“Hopefully get a win against a good team and great program in CPA,” he continued. “In which we did against a well-coached team. Our girls played with the intensity like we hoped the would and have been for the past month and half.”
*Thirty student-athletes, including Tipton-Rosemark Academy’s Alex Anderson, to be recognized for their performances during the regular season for 2019-20.
The Mr. and Miss Basketball awards will be presented to the top girls and boys in five classifications of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association on the floor of Murphy Center on the campus of MTSU on Tuesday, March 10 at 7 p.m. The finalists for the awards are listed below.
High school head basketball coaches and members of the media nominated the finalists and a statewide committee of sportswriters selected winners based on performance during the 2019-2020 regular season. Academics and character were also taken into consideration.
This is the 36th year that the Mr. and Miss Basketball Awards have been presented to Tennessee’s best high school basketball players.
Division II-A Mr. Basketball Finalists
Alex Anderson, Tipton-Rosemark
Moussa Cisse, Lausanne
Dante Harris, Lakeway Christian
*The Millington Municipal Planning Commission has approved a proposed Mixed Use Planned Development and recommended a zoning change from commercial to residential.
Commission members took the actions on separate motions during their Feb. 17 regular monthly meeting. Each motion was passed by five affirmative votes, with Brenda Barber and Mayor Terry Jones absent.
The MUPD will be located on 103.7 acres east of the Shoppes of Millington Farms and Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse.
Charles Goforth, planning consultant for the city, said the purpose of an MUPD is to provide the “means and guidelines” regarding which tracts of land may be developed using a “unified” approach instead of a traditional lot-by-lot development.
He noted that an MUPD contains a variety of residential uses, along with certain approved commercial, office and light industrial uses.
MARCH 2020
*The 107 year since the passing of Civil Rights and Underground Railroad icon Harriet Tubman.
Two days prior to March 10, nearly 50 members of the Memphis area were honored for their involvement to better the community with the Harriet Tubman Living Legends awards. Among those 2020 recipients in the leadership category was Millington’s Debra Sigee.
Community activist and grant writer, Sigee is currently the executive director of the Millington Crisis Center. Her involvement in the betterment of the Millington community for 23 years placed among the likes of Michael Rallings (Memphis Police Department Chief of Police), Elaine Turner (CEO of Slave Haven), Tyron Burroughs (president and CEO, First Choice Sales & Marketing Group), Van Turner (president of NAACP and Shelby County Commissioner), Faith Morris (Marketing Director of Civil Rights Museum), Reginald Cooperwood (Regional One Hospital), Calvin Anderson (president of the New Tri-State Defender Newspaper, businessman), former State Rep. Johnnie Turner (Civil Rights activist), Karanja Ajanaku (executive director New Tri-State Defender Newspaper), Judge Joe Brown (activist), Shep Wilburn (founder of the 1991 People’s Convention, supplier diversity officer for Shelby County) and Johnnie Mosley (Citizens for Better Service).
*Motorists were greeted by an unwelcome sight in early March with the ramp closure to Raleigh-Millington off 385. On Raleigh-Millington the traffic was moved to signal lane in both direction as construction began on the road. This will be ongoing for several months.
*In recent years the Millington Middle School STEM Department has been making headlines across the state of Tennessee.
One of the driving forces behind the students reaching high marks in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology is Millington Middle Science instructor Malcolm Sanders. Recently Sanders applied for a grant through the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network through the Tennessee Valley Authority.
His application was one of 150 across the TVA service area to be accepted and granted $5,000. TVA Grant Relations Specialist TJ Thompson arrived to Millington Middle School Friday morning to present Sanders, his students and MMS Principal Selina Sparkman with the check.
“We believe in pouring back into our communities,” Thompson said. “At TVA, there’s a big charitable aspect. We like to contribute to our communities especially with TVA being big on powering and providing energy.”
*The Millington Central High School Class of 2020 had its Top 20 announced by the Guidance Department at a ceremony held in the Millington Performing Arts Center this afternoon.
Below is the list of the 20 students with Valedictorian Geoffrey Warberg and Salutatorian Samarra Davis. Back in 2013 Geoffrey’s older brother Darrell earned the honor of top of the class.
*Millington Municipal School District supports the decision of SCS to do what they believe is in the best interest for their students. We are actively monitoring the situation regarding COVID-19 in Shelby County and are sensitive to the needs of our community. Our Superintendent and Coordinator of School Health have been a beacon of information for our community.
Proactively, we have communicated to our schools, parents and stakeholders the best practices to stay safe and healthy during this time. We are currently taking guidance from the Tennessee Department of Health, Governor’s Office, TN Commissioner of Education and local health agencies as it relates to steps to keep our students and staff safe and healthy. We will release any decisions or information in regard to closure as they are made.
*Even before there was a Millington Municipal School district, the future and structural well-being of E.A. Harrold Elementary was a concern of local residents.
On March 10 in the Millington Performing Arts Center, those topics and others related to E.A. Harrold were the primary focus of the Millington School Board, Superintendent James “Bo” Griffin and those who attended the special public forum.
Dozens stepped up to the microphone to address board members Roger Christopher, CJ Hailey, Mark Coulter, Cody Childress, Chairman Larry Jackson, Barbara Halliburton and Chris Denson. Griffin, who opened up the forum with a statement, also appeared on stage in front of the residents and several of his employees from all four current Millington Municipal Schools.
Representation of Millington Central High School, Millington Middle School, Millington Elementary and E.A. Harrold were in the MPAC building in the form of principals, administration, faculty, staff and students.
On the table was the potential closing of E.A. Harrold by the end of this current school year. Rumors and possible plans of sending the current students to Millington Elementary and some to the home of Millington Middle School floated around.
Then Millington Middle students were share the current of high school students at MCHS.
Information about the recent history of E.A. Harrold’s structural troubles was given out to the attendees.
Since 2014, the building was in need of repairs costing about $6.7 million.
Under the Shelby County Schools banner, proposals of fixing or closing thee building were made.
*On the morning of March 16, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee issued a statement regarding schools statewide as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic in the United States.
Last week local school systems started to enforce closures to coincide with Spring Breaks as a chance to clean schools and set up procedures to prevent the spread of the disease.
“As the response to COVID-19 evolves, I urge every school district in Tennessee to close as soon as practically possible, with all schools expected to close by Friday, March 20, 2020 at the latest,” Lee said. “Schools should remain closed through March 31 to further mitigate the spread of this infectious disease and we will issue further guidance prior to March 31.
“Superintendents and local leadership have the full support of my administration to determine effective dates for closure this week as they evaluate what is best for families within their respective districts,” he continued. “We understand the tremendous burden school closure places on families and we will continue to work with both the federal government and school districts to ensure we continue essential supports like meals for students in need. Every Tennessean has a role to play in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and I urge Tennesseans to be quick to help neighbors as new needs surface with the closure of schools.”
*In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the declared national state of emergency, it has become necessary for city officials to take precautionary measures. Effective Monday, March 16, 2020 all activities and programming through the Millington Parks and Recreation Department have been canceled until April 1, 2020. This includes all activities at Baker Community Center and the Millington Gym. City parks will remain open, but residents are asked to take the sanitary precautions outlined by the Shelby County Health Department and Centers for Disease Control such as frequent hand washing with soap and water or the use of hand sanitizers.
*As the seconds tick away, the cases of coronavirus/COVID-19 continue to grow across the world and United States.
The concerns of the pandemic have brought historic measures in closures in New Jersey, New York and parts of California. Closer to home in Millington, Memphis and the Mid-South, civil state of emergencies have been declared to help fight against the spread of coronavirus.
Last week the first COVID-19 case in Millington was reported infecting a staff member assigned to the Navy Personnel Command. The staff member tested positive for the novel coronavirus last Friday.
According to The Navy Times, the individual first began showing symptoms on March 18, and was tested at Baptist East Memorial Hospital in Memphis. The staff member is now on self-quarantine and is following the protocol instituted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Within hours, Millington Mayor Terry Jones released an official Civil State of Emergency for Millington.
*Millington Mayor Terry Jones joined other municipalities and unincorporated Shelby County by declaring a Civil Emergency in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. This order shall take effect at midnight, March 21, 2020. The order prohibits the on-site consumption of food and beverage at restaurants, cafes, coffehouses and other establishments that offer food or beverage for on-site consumption. Nothing in the order prohibits establishments from providing food delivery services, window service, walk-up service or drive-up service. Bars, taverns and other establishments whose primary business is offering alcoholic beverages for on-premise consumption are order closed effective midnight March 21, 2020. All gyms and exercise facilities are ordered closed effective midnight March 21, 2020. This Civil Order is not applicable to grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores, gas stations, retail stores, and charitable food distributions sites. However, on-site consumption of food and beverage at these locations is prohibited. The Civil Order authorizes the Millington Police Department to enforce this order.
APRIL 2020
*The U.S. government is trying to help Americans struggling with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic and how health precautions related to it have shut down so many businesses.
The fallout from COVID-19 (the disease caused by the virus) is cascading through the country’s economy, creating job losses, temporary layoffs and reduced work hours, thus affecting people’s abilities to pay their mortgages and other living expenses.
On March 27, a $2.2 trillion stimulus package became law as the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act,” or the “CARES Act,” also known as Public Law No. 116-136.
It’s the largest economic relief bill in U.S. history, according to the Tax Foundation (a leading independent tax policy nonprofit organization operating since 1937).
People are already eagerly anticipating the relief money that will come directly to U.S. citizens, but the bill also responds in other ways to the coronavirus’s impact on the economy, public health, state and local governments, individuals and businesses.
*MCHS Hall of Fame is a honor is reserved for the TOP 5 percent of the senior class and is based on much more than just grades.   This award is about leadership, community involvement, integrity, school involvement, honesty,  moral responsibility, positive example, dependability, and positive impact on the school.  The students are nominated by the teachers and must qualify in two or more categories and received from two or more teacher nominations.  They were selected by the faculty and staff of Millington Central High School. This is one of the oldest and most prestigious awards given each year to a small group of seniors.
The Class of 2020 honorees are Tommy Clifton, Briana Fields, Markees Flowers, Camryn Michael, Jayden Tincher, Jamiya Turner, Ella Vath, Maia Vath, Geoffrey Warberg and Verdo Young.
*The Millington Board of Mayor and Aldermen has unanimously awarded a bid for construction of Phase 2 of the Navy Road Streetscape Project.
Board members took the action during their April 13 regular monthly meeting on a motion offered by Alderman Thomas McGhee and seconded by Alderman Don Lowry.
The city advertised for bids on the project, and two were received on March 27.
After reviewing the bids and qualifications of the contractors, the city’s design consultant Kimley-Horn & Associates of Memphis recommended that a contract be awarded to Enscor LLC at a lump sum not to exceed $1,357,090.85.
But City Finance Director John Trusty noted that, prior to executing a contract, the bid award is subject to approval by City Attorney Gerald Lawson and concurrence by the Tennessee Department of Transportation, which has awarded the city a grant for the project.
In a related action, on a motion offered by Alderman Al Bell and seconded by Alderman Larry Dagen, the board unanimously selected a professional consulting firm to provide “construction engineering inspection services” for the project.
*The Millington Board of Mayor and Aldermen has unanimously selected a consulting firm to provide inspection services for the Raleigh-Millington Road bridge replacement project.
Board members took the action during their April 13 regular monthly meeting on a motion offered by Alderman Mike Caruthers and seconded by Alderman Don Lowry.
Millington has received a grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation for replacement of the bridge over Big Creek.
After issuing a Request for Qualifications, the city’s Consultant Selection Review Committee recommended that a contract be awarded to Fisher & Arnold to provide “construction engineering inspection services” for the project.
But the contract is subject to approval by City Attorney Gerald Lawson and concurrence by TDOT.
During discussion shortly before the vote, City Engineer Jason Dixon said TDOT requested that construction funds be applied for through the Federal Highway Administration.
City Finance Director John Trusty said the FHWA must authorize the city to proceed to construction.
*Despite news coming down from Nashville April 20, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland announced the next day that his city would not reopen until at least May 5.
Governor Bill Lee announced the order for Tennesseans to remain at home will expire April 30, with the vast majority of businesses in 89 counties allowed to reopen on May 1. The Lee Administration will work with Shelby, Madison, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox and Sullivan counties and their health departments as they plan their own re-open strategies.
Strickland said April 21 the city’s stay-at-home order will be extended through May 5. Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and Strickland appointed the five-member team of business and health professionals with the responsibility of developing a plan to safely reopen the local economy.
*2020 Millington Central High School Commencement moved to late May was announced in April.
Millington Central High School Senior Counselor Georgette Farmer is spreading the word to the senior class about the rescheduled graduation.
Originally scheduled for May 14 on the campus of MCHS at Mooney Boswell Field, the Class of 2020 will be honored and recognized later in the month. The new date for the graduation is planned for May 29 on the football field.
The ceremony will be split into two commencements for the Class of 2020. At 5 p.m., students with a last name between A-K will walk across the stage.
Then at 7:15 p.m., children with last names L-Z will graduate. Both observances will be in accordance with the social distancing guidelines set forth by the Tennessee Department of Education.
*The outcry for help was matched by the outpouring of love April 27 at the dead end portion of Glencoe Road just a few yards away from RaceWay in Millington.
Siblings and owners of RaceWay Ana and Zain Gillani rallied up the community to give back to those in need during the COVID-19/coronavirus crisis.
“My brother and I co-own the Raceway straight up the street and fortunately we’ve been able to be open throughout this entire crisis,” Ana said. “We realized so many people were out of jobs. We wanted to see what we could do to give back.”
The plan of a handing out 500 meals to struggling Millington families brought several car loads directed by the Millington Police Department. Things ran smoothly with dozens of volunteers loading up the boxes and buckets provided by nearby Lowe’s.
“We said we’re going to get meals together for 500 people,” Ana continued. “Then we started talking to other businesses to see who would be willing to help out. Turns out everybody was willing to help out with whatever their resources would allow. Between the members of the community and the businesses leaders, we’re all working together to help everybody out.”
RaceWay located at 8454 Highway 51 North became ground zero for the team gathering together to conduct the giveaway.
MAY 2020
*May 4 marked the beginning of trying to reopen the economy in the Memphis/Shelby County area.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and the surround municipal mayors have been working the past few weeks as part of Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s Economic Recovery Group.
Mayor Mike Wissman, City of Arlington, Mayor Keith McDonald, City of Bartlett, Mayor Stan Joyner, Town of Collierville, Mayor Mike Palazzolo, City of Germantown, Mayor Mike Cunningham, City of Lakeland and Millington Mayor Terry Jones have been reviewing the data on COVID-19/coronavirus to create a three phase plan to reopen businesses.
“We’ve been working together for weeks on this, and I appreciate the unified effort,” Jones said. “I believe this is the best way to move forward, in unity.”
Gov. Lee established the ERG, a joint effort between state departments, members of the legislature and leaders from the private sector to build guidance to safely reboot Tennessee’s economy. The group is led by Tennessee Department of Tourism Development Commissioner Mark Ezell.
*Arrest made from October 7, 2019 incident, at about 7:50 a.m. at 5281 Navy Rd at the Professional Counseling Services Mental Facility (PCS) an employee of the clinic was stabbed numerous times as she exited her vehicle.
The victim of this vicious attack was severely injured both physically and mentally. While we cannot fully understand the total scope of her injuries, our hearts and prayers are for her to have a full recovery.
“Over the last several months’ detectives from the Millington Police Department have worked hundreds of hours to solve this case and give our victim some peace and to begin the process of closure,” Millington Police Chief Mark Dunbar said. “We have worked with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Nashville Metro Police Department, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation following up on similar incidents in Knoxville and Nashville, which did not lead to an arrest in our investigation.
“However, today I am proud to announce that early last week we were able to establish a new lead in our investigation and we were able to make an arrest in the stabbing and have charged Darryl Evans, 38 years of age with criminal attempt first-degree murder. We have also developed additional information that Mr. Evans was responsible for another similar incident in Memphis, in August of 2019. We have turned this information over to the Memphis Police Department and expect additional charges to be filed.”
*Earlier this month, the Wesley Millington Towers located at 5077 Easley Street gave residents a safe chance to be visited by loved ones.
From a safe distance and with all precautions, residents were stations nearby a motorcade of vehicles. The cars and trucks were filled with family members and friends getting a chance to say “Thank you,” “Miss you,” and “I love you” to their seniors staying in the residential home.
Wesley Millington Towers is located near downtown Millington and has 80 one-bedroom apartments. There is an on-site care manager to assist residents in locating available city, county, and state services to meet their needs.
The need of family was met to the best of ability under the COVID-19 restrictions. Back in April, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s Executive Order 17 was in effect, directing how businesses and people should work to protect people during the epidemic. V
*NASHVILLE — As Tennessee continues to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the state’s Economic Recovery Group announced last week it will lift capacity restrictions on restaurants and retail to instead focus on social distancing best practices effective May 22 and issue guidelines to facilitate the safe reopening of larger, non-contact attractions on or after May 22.
New Tennessee Pledge guidelines will be released early next week. Six counties – Shelby, Madison, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox and Sullivan – may continue to follow individual, county-specific reopening plans created in consultation with State and local health departments.
“Tennesseans have worked incredibly hard to do their part and help slow the spread of COVID-19 so that our state can begin to reopen,” said Governor Bill Lee. “Thanks to their continued efforts, we’re able to allow restaurants and retail businesses to operate at greater capacity and large attractions to open in a safe and thoughtful way.
“Our state continues to see downward trends in case growth and meets the White House criteria for a phased reopening,” he continued. “This progress has been hard-won, and we can build upon it by reopening while also maintaining common-sense safety measures like mask-wearing and good hygiene. By taking the Tennessee Pledge, our businesses can reopen in a way that protects the health of their customers and employees, and protects the livelihoods of hard-working Tennesseans.”
*Back in May two members of the Millington Central High School Class of 2020 were recognized for scholarships. Tommy Clifton and Cassidy Floyd were this year’s recipients of the Cassy Memorial Scholarship. The Cassy Memorial Scholarship was developed by Joanna and Adam Blankenship in honor of their daughter Cassy Colunga. Colunga passed away in 2016 after a battle with brain cancer. She would have been a graduate this year at MCHS. The scholarship is in honorees received $2,100 each.
*The 110th Millington Central High School Commencement will be one of the most memorable in the history of the institution.
A school with such a rich and long history held it’s first two-part graduation in compliance with the Tennessee Department of Education’s regulation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Friday afternoon (May 29) and evening, the 184 MCHS student who met the requirements of Millington Municipal Schools to graduate participated in ceremonies in accordance with the social distancing guidelines set forth by the Tennessee Department of Education.
Originally set for May 14, the Class of 2020 finally got its day in the sun May 29 starting at 5 p.m. at Mooney Boswell Field for students with the last name A-K. Then exactly two hours and 15 minutes later, last names L-Z graduated under the direction of Millington Municipal Schools Superintendent James “Bo” Griffin, MCHS Principal Mark Neal, Vice Principal Ben Rollins and assistant principals Zane Adams and Beth Hale.
During the dual ceremonies, 2020 Class President Briana Fields, Valedictorian Geoffrey Warberg and Salutatorian Samarra Davis gave their speeches twice. The trio tried to keep the focus on the success and achievements of their peers. But they all touched on the coronavirus’ impact on the conclusion of the school year.
JUNE 2020
*2019 Millington Central High School graduate Essence McKinney took possession of the bullhorn and led the march from the grounds of the 901 Church to begin a journey of awareness to her hometown.
Since the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd on Memorial Day while in police custody, the nation has been rocked by protest, some rioting and even looting. But for the past few days, more peaceful marches like the one that took place in Millington Saturday have dominated the narrative.
“We’re here today to spread awareness about the Black Lives Matter movement and to protest against police brutality,” 19-year-old organizer and MCHS graduate Jaqueline Alaniz said. “And to remember those who we’ve lost, black brothers and sisters we’ve lost to police brutality. It’s also to be here for our black brothers and sisters to give them a place where they can speak their minds and their voices so they can be heard.”
The word about the protest in Flag City was heard quickly through social media. The hashtag BLACKLIVESMATTER Millington Protest spread even to the Millington Police Department with Chief Mark Dunbar issuing out patrol cars to guide the march
*The Shelby County Health Department recommends that Shelby County and all municipalities remain in Phase II of reopening until June 15. The recommendation comes after careful analysis of data since the move to Phase II on May 19.We have seen an increase in daily case numbers, particularly after the Memorial Day weekend. For that reason, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and the Shelby County Health Department have decided to maintain the current COVID-19 response level at this time.Unless there are extraordinary changes in the metrics between now and June 15, the Health Department expects to be able advance to Phase III on that date, but in the meantime, they will continue to monitor new cases, positivity rate, reproduction rate, testing capacity, hospital capacity, and public health capacity.Throughout the shutdown, the Shelby County Health Department has been advising businesses and other organizations about their plans for reopening.
*The Millington Board of Mayor and Aldermen has unanimously passed separate ordinances on final reading that adopt the city budget and tax rate for the 2021 fiscal year.
Board members took the actions Monday night during a special called meeting. Both ordinances were unanimously passed on first reading at the board’s June 8 meeting.
The budget ordinance states that the pandemic caused by COVID-19 has led to many changes in the lives and needs of Millington residents and the revenues that fund the city.
It notes that the effect of the coronavirus on more than $2 million of “budgeted but not yet collected” General Fund revenues is still unknown for the 2020 fiscal year.
It states that the FY 2021 budget has been prepared with the assumption that all the programs and services currently provided by the city will continue with adequate revenues.
The budget includes funding for both the city and the municipal school system.
But the ordinance acknowledges that the city intends to “closely monitor” revenues and may elect to draw on adequate reserves, such as the Financial Stabilization Account (the committed balance of the General Fund), if necessary.
It notes that, if revenues are falling “significantly below” projected levels during FY 2021, the city will reduce selected services, programs and/or departments.
Millington Finance Director John Trusty has said the budget presented for the General Fund has a deficit of $1,389,941. So, the city plans to use that amount of the General Fund Balance to finance this budget.
*For the second year in a row fireworks are for sale in Millington. Also the festive paraphernalia can be found near the Tipton County line and Lakeland.
Back in Millington, people from surrounding areas like this Frayser couple came to TNT Fireworks located outside of the Millington Kroger to purchase fireworks. Coming up Highway 51 North from Frayser there is a huge tent selling fireworks.
*In late June the sidewalk reconstruction phase on Navy Road began near the intersection of Highway 51. Now the project is extending down Navy Road in front of businesses like Spin City. This repair work on the sidewalks of Navy Road is a part of the Navy Road Streetscape Project approved by the Millington Board of Mayor and Aldermen.
*Last week it became official that all residents of Shelby County over the age of 2 are mandated to wear a mask or face covering when in public places.
Back on June 30, the Memphis City Council voted 9-4 to approve an ordinance that would require residents to wear a mask or facial covering in public. Shelby County followed suit the following day. The reason for the decisions from Memphis and Shelby County has been the rising COVID-19 numbers. Medical experts recored a spike in COVID-19 cases in Memphis and Shelby County.
Shelby County Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter said the resurgence of the coronavirus in Southwest Tennessee has led to this measure to help slow down the spread.
Haushalter added future restrictions might be coming soon for bars, restaurants and other facilities.