By Deborah Turner

 
McKenzie Middle School Principal Jonathan Frye and West Carroll Superintendent Eric Williams are among 21 applicants for the position of director of schools for the Jackson-Madison County School System. April 15 was the deadline for application.

The top five candidates will be announced Wednesday, April 26, at a 4:30 p.m. meeting of the school board, according to Tennessee School Board Association representative Tammy Grissom. She said she would be contacting by phone the five candidates selected and that other applicants will receive letters by regular mail. No information will be released prior to the school board meeting.

Frye assumed his position in McKenzie in 2005 after working as assistant principal of Jackson's South Side High School, his alma mater, for six years. He worked four years at Jackson Central Merry and eight and a half years at Dyersburg High School. He is a 1987 graduate of Lambuth College, where he attained a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education with a major in math, and of Trevecca University, where he attained a master's degree in administration and supervision. He is working on his doctorate in curriculum and instruction at Union University.

Williams was band director at South Side from 1988 through 1999. Before that, He worked in the Hardin County and Benton County school systems. He came on board at West Carroll as high school principal in 1999 and in 2001 became superintendent. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Lambuth College and obtained his master's degree in curriculum and instruction and educational administration from Freed-Hardeman.

Other former JMCSS applicants include Jerry Woods, associate professor of educational studies at UT-Martin's Graduate School of Education, with 18 years of experience in Jackson-Madison County schools, and Joel Hassell, superintendent of Lake County Schools. He was a special education teacher at JMCSS.

Current JMCSS employees vying for the position include Helen J. Owens (Rose Hill Middle School principal), Jimmy Bailey (Arlington Elementary School principal), Michael Bevis (East Intermediate School principal) and fine arts coordinator L. Brian Ford. Other candidates are from Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Florida, and Wisconsin.

Interviews are scheduled to begin May 1 with a contract offered by the first of June. The successful candidate assumes the position July 1.

The job carries a salary of $100,000 to $130,000 for leadership of the school system that was reported last week in the Jackson Sun to be "out of compliance regarding $5 million of tax anticipation notes issued to cover a $5 million fund deficit at the end of the last fiscal year."

The Jackson-Madison County School District serves 28 schools serving approximately 13,780 students and employs 1,168 certified teachers. Facilities include 14 elementary schools (grades K-4), four intermediate schools (grades 5-6), four middle schools (grades 7-8), five high schools (grades 9-12), and one alternative school.
 

 
HUNTINGDON - A Monday evening fire destroyed a barn filled with baby chickens and quail on 9566 State Route 77, west of Huntingdon. According to Carroll County Fire Chief Terry Bradshaw, approximately 300 baby chickens and 50 quail were in the open type barn. It was reportedly owned by Carol Waugh.

Bradshaw said the origin of the fire has not been determined. The state's Fire Marshal will investigate on Tuesday, said Bradshaw. It is not believed to be related to the spate of barn arsons in recent weeks.
 

 
HUNTINGDON -Dilday Funeral Home of Huntingdon has made application to expand operations to Union City.

Steve Carter, owner, said he has applied to reopen a 10,800 square-foot funeral home, located at 1200 S. Miles Avenue, Union City. Two men from the Union City area will operate it. If approved by the state, Carter said he would remodel the 17-year-old facility.

Dilday operates the funeral home and chapel on East Main Street, Huntingdon, and Carroll Memorial Gardens and Northwest Tennessee Crematory in McKenzie.
 

 
PARIS -April 24 - Major news affecting the economy of Henry County will be announced in a press conference in Paris, Wednesday, April 26 at 9:00 a.m., according to the newly formed Paris-Henry County Alliance. The conference will be held on the north side of the Henry County Courthouse and will be moved to the courtroom in case of rain.
 

   

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta is investigating concerns that a contact lens cleaning, disinfecting solution may be linked to a recent outbreak of fungal keratitis infections in the United States. Based on that concern, Bausch & Lomb has asked U.S. retailers to remove ReNu with MoistureLoc from their shelves temporarily, and recommended that consumers switch to another lens care solution until the FDA and CDC complete their investigations.

Fungal keratitis is a fungal infection affecting the cornea, according to Dr. A.L. Spivey of Spivey Eye Clinic in McKenzie. Symptoms include blurred vision, unusual redness, eye pain, tearing, discharge, or sensitivity to light. Until now, fungal keratitis has rarely been reported in the healthy contact lens wearing population.

Spivey urged anyone with symptoms of eye infections to contact their optometrist immediately. He noted that eye care professionals are the only ones with the proper instrumentation to make a correct diagnosis of bacterial, viral and fungal infections. He added there are two confirmed cases of the infection in Martin and two suspected cases in Jackson. Clinically, it is often difficult to differentiate between fungal and bacterial infections. Confirmation may be obtained by the doctor though corneal culture, corneal tissue biopsy or confocal microscopy.

Since Baush & Lomb manufactures other contact solutions as well as ReNu and the cause of the infection is not yet known, Spivey said it is important for all contact lens wearers to contact their eye care professional to make sure the solution they are using is safe.

Thus far, the CDC has received reports of 170 cases of suspected fungal keratitis in 17 U.S. states. Early in the investigation, federal and state health officials interviewed 30 of those patients. Of them, 28 were soft contact lens wearers, and 26 remembered what lens care product they used. According to a Bausch & Lomb news release, 21 of these patients reported using ReNu brand.

"For more than 150 years, Bausch & Lomb's mission has been to enhance your vision," said CEO Ron Zarrella. "We find ourselves in a position where the safety of one of our products, ReNu with MoistureLoc manufactured at our United States plant, is in question. We've done a series of exhaustive tests on the product, and a thorough inspection of the plant, and nothing has yet been found to show that the product contributed to these infections in any way. However, in the cases of infections reviewed to date, the majority of patients reported using ReNu with MoistureLoc manufactured at our U.S. factory."

The company initiated the voluntary market withdrawal in order to eliminate any confusion among contact lens wearers about what to do while the investigation is ongoing. The action does not apply to other Bausch & Lomb products or to ReNu with MoistureLoc manufactured at factories outside the United States.

The FDA and CDC warn all practitioners to refer patients who present with microbial keratitis immediately to an eye care professional for treatment and to report cases of fungal keratitis in contact lens wearers to the FDA. American Optometric Association (AOA) optometrists are taking an active role in reporting their cases to the CDC and the FDA.

Contact lens patients are reminded to practice the following good hygiene tips:

• Always wash your hands before handing contact lenses.
• Carefully and regularly clean contact lenses as directed by your optometrist. If recommended, rub the contact lenses with fingers and rinse thoroughly before soaking lenses overnight in sufficient multi-purpose solution to completely cover the lens.
• Store lenses in the proper lens storage case. Clean the case after each use, and keep it open and dry between cleanings. Replace the case every three months.
• Use only products recommended by your optometrist to clean and disinfect your lenses. Saline solution and rewetting drops are not designed to disinfect lenses.
• Use only fresh solution to clean and disinfect contact lenses. Never re-use old recommendations, even if the lenses are not used daily.
• Always replace contact lenses on schedule as directed by your optometrist.

When wearing or cleaning contacts:

• Never put contact lenses in the mouth or moisten them with saliva, which is full of bacteria and a potential source of infection.
• Don't use tap water or homemade saline solutions.
• Improper use of solutions has been linked to a potentially blinding condition among soft lens wearers.
• Never use contacts that have not been prescribed by an eye doctor. Contact lens wearing is not an option for everyone; consult with an optometrist to see if it's an appropriate option.